


Realization

by Ms_Notebook (You_Light_The_Sky)



Category: Rin-ne
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Noncanonical Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2011-12-31
Packaged: 2017-10-28 15:25:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 61,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/309307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/You_Light_The_Sky/pseuds/Ms_Notebook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>COMPLETE. AU-ish. If someone took your sight away... would you forgive him? Rinne/Sakura</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

_She never realized it…_

* * *

Sakura Mamiya lived life just like any other girl off to college or University. She got up, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, got dressed, ate breakfast and grabbed her bag. She took the morning bus and went to her morning classes, then ate lunch in the middle of the city square by the fountain—even if it rained—by herself and walked back to campus. She studied with Tsubasa for an hour, went window-shopping with her friends, went home, made dinner, went for night classes, stayed up, did her work, and went to sleep.

That was it.

The same thing every day.

"Sakura-chan, want to go see a movie later?" Rika called, running over to Sakura as they finished their morning classes.

Smiling dimly, Sakura nodded, "Sure. Why not?"

* * *

 _Something was wrong._

 _And yet nothing was wrong._

 _How could there be anything wrong with the perfect life? A life where she was never in danger? A life where she could live happily with her friends and potential boyfriend? A life where she never had to worry about life-and-death situations again?_

 _What was wrong with that?_

 _Everything._

 _She never realized it…_

* * *

"Mamiya-san? Did you hear anything that I said?"

"Huh?"

Reality returned quickly. Before Sakura knew it, she was back in the library… studying… again. Tsubasa was sitting across from her, a worried expression on his face. Normally he was bright and chipper—as always. Always happy. Always chipper.

Always.

Her heart clenched, as she looked at Tsubasa's black orbs, looking for a trace of colour that just wasn't there…

Tsubasa sighed and leaned forward, putting a hand on her forehead. He was always like that, open, easy to make casual (yet hoping for more) touches. But she never said anything, never encouraged it, never berated it. She was at a stand still with him.

"… I'm worried about you lately, Mamiya-san… You haven't been yourself lately…," Tsubasa muttered slowly.

She was still in a daze, looking at his black locks… wishing she could see a line of red, anywhere… somewhere…

There had to be red, somewhere in this monochromatic, empty, black-and-white life… there had to be some colour again… _anywhere_ in this cruel mundane world…

Mechanically, Sakura gave her near-perfect sweet smile. She recited the words that she was so used to saying, every day, every week, day in and day out in this clockwork of a lifestyle where everything was always the same…

"Yes. I'm sorry. I'm just tired from studying. But I'm fine. I appreciate you helping me with my work," she responded according to the script—the script that had been written from the first day.

Because everything was always the same.

The same words. The same responses.

And as predicted, Tsubasa gave her the same smile, and gave the same proposals, "How about a date next weekend?"

Her heart cringed, at the proposal and at the generated response. "Sure. But as friends, still."

The same monochrome.

No red in sight.

* * *

 _Sometimes she would still look for it… a flash of red. Anything. As long as it held that same shade of red, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but hope…_

 _But why?_

 _She never realized it…_

* * *

Again, Tsubasa had her arm and he was busy steering her through the bolstering crowd full of life. However, for Sakura Mamiya, this crowd felt like a film that she was watching on the screen. None of it felt real to her, she wasn't really there.

She was the person watching the screen.

And then… just then… she saw a familiar flash of red.

Sakura's breath quickened, unknown to her, adrenaline began pumping into her blood and she was pulling away from Tsubasa's arm before she knew it and swimming through the crowd. She ran, she breathed, she was _living_ again and _grinning_ , like she never grinned before, full of _life_ from cheek to cheek because she thought that she saw _him_ again and—

When Sakura grabbed the person's shoulder, it turned out to be a wig worn by the fair clown. Disappointment clouded her face right then, as she dropped her hands, muttered monotonous and cheerful (false) apologies before running back into the crowd to join Tsubasa once again…

But when she looked at him again, she couldn't.

She started to cry, right there, in the middle of the bolstering crowd.

And Tsubasa, frozen at the sight of her tears, did not move any closer to her.

* * *

 _Sometimes… she would see abandoned cats on the streets. It didn't matter if they were black or white or brown… she took them in and fed them._

 _But they always left her house in the end._

 _And she could never stop herself from aching whenever the black kittens left her._

 _She never realized it…_

* * *

That night, Sakura visited her old high school. Her steps immediately took her to the site of the abandoned school building, a site that had been demolished three years ago and had had a new tennis court built in its place.

Her steps traced back the steps where she remembered _his_ room would have been. Her feet recalled where Rinne used to sleep perfectly, and then Sakura just stood there, silently… reminiscing.

The cold wind blew past her contemplative face, brushing her long braids from her shoulders.

She stood…

And she stood…

And she stood…

And soon it was night.

By the time it was midnight, and there was no one else on the streets, green eyes were teary without her even knowing it… and only one word had been spoken all night.

"… Rinne..." she whispered, desperately, "I should've called you Rinne one more time…"

* * *

 _Sometimes she would receive little things in the mail… They ranged from small coins, to paper roses. Sometimes there were words of encouragement._

 _She knew they were not from_ him _because he had promised never to contact her again._

 _She knew that that they were from Tamako, although the woman had sworn to_ him _that she would never contact Sakura. But she did it anyways._

 _Because Tamako had not given up on them._

 _She never realized it…_

* * *

She would still have nightmares of that day. Reaching out for his hand… only to find it gone.

And then waking up, only to realize that her reality was only the same as her dream.

* * *

" _Rokudo-kun… What is this?"_

 _Sakura held up a strange vial in her hands. It looked like something from some kind of odd witch movie, a crystal vial with an angel's wing protruding from the top. Inside the vial was some sort of purple liquid._

 _They were sitting beneath a tree in the school yard. The sort-of shinigami's eyes were clouded. It felt odd to be seeing those red eyes so troubled and dismayed. It was as if he was in a kind of quiet despair…_

 _She didn't know what to make of it._

 _He was wearing his haori, sitting cross-legged beside her. He was a quiet for a long time before he spoke out…_

" _Sakura Mamiya… do you trust me?"_

 _His question had surprised her for a moment, before she smiled softly at him, giving him one of the most honest answers in her life, "Of course I do. With my life."_

 _Again, he appeared troubled._

 _The silence descended on them once more, before Rinne spoke up again, slowly and deliberately… without looking at her eyes._

 _That should've been her first clue…_

 _His voice was soft, almost cautious, but it willed her to trust him…_

" _Sakura Mamiya… I want you to drink that… It's for your own good."_

 _Confused, Sakura said, "What is it?"_

" _It's something that will make you safe."_

"… _Are you sure I should be—"_

" _Please."_

 _She had never seen him look so desperate and distressed and part of her hated that the strong Rokudo-kun that she knew so well could look so fragile and easily broken. The other part of her wanted to take him in her arms and comfort him._

 _Without a doubt, Sakura couldn't refuse that face. She nodded, "Alright. I trust you, Rokudo-kun."_

 _And so she drank it._

* * *

"If I hadn't listened to you… if I hadn't trusted you… would I still be able to _see_ you now, Rinne?" She smiled softly, staring at the ceiling over head, her back against the bed.

She couldn't sleep.

Actually, she never could… not when her dreams and reality were mixed and so disgustingly similar.

"…You have no idea how much it hurt, you know… blinking one instant later, only to realize… _that I couldn't see you anymore_. _I couldn't see_ any _spirits anymore,_ " Sakura said weakly, "I sit here every day… missing and wishing I could see them again… because they made life bearable… you know… sometimes, this makes me I want to hate you, Rokudo-kun."

That same meek smile was on her face. That had never changed. It was one of the things, she never wanted to change. Because if she stopped smiling, how would she go on in her every-day monotonous life?

If she stopped smiling… she would break her promise to Rokudo-kun.

A promise, she could never break.

* * *

" _Rokudo-kun…?" she blinked, when she found herself suddenly utterly alone…_

 _He suddenly reappeared in front of her, haori off, eyes softening in relief, "It worked…"_

" _What worked? What's going on, Rokudo-kun?" Sakura asked him suspiciously._

 _At that moment, he turned his back on her and he was walking out of sight. Sakura, alarmed, ran after him, telling him to wait. But the sort-of shinigami didn't._

" _I'm leaving now, Sakura Mamiya. So please... forget about me… Good bye. Promise me you'll be happy in your life."_

 _She couldn't believe what she was hearing... And she was alarmed when she saw how he refused to meet her eyes... The sort-of shinigami was really...?_

" _Wait… what are you talking about? What do you mean you're leaving?"_

 _But she blinked. There was a gust of wind, the fluttering of a haori, a faint but heavy pressure on her lips with a whispered word she couldn't quite catch and then... and then..._

 _And then he was gone._

* * *

She was normal now. She didn't have to see them any more. Because… four years ago, he had found a so-called 'cure' for her ability to see ghosts. Some way or another, he had tricked her into taking it. And now, her life was blissfully gone of ghosts and spirits. She could live comfortably. Peacefully.

But not happily.

She was not happy. And she knew it.

She still smiled though. And maybe it wasn't for him anymore. Maybe it was to a mere reminder to herself… A reminder not to break down and cry out of emptiness and despair.

Because…

* * *

 _She finally realized it._

 _She was, and still was, absolutely in love with Rinne Rokudo._

 _And she realized it too late._


	2. Part 2

_What will you do now, Sakura Mamiya?_

* * *

She had not come to school for several days.

At home, her answering machine was flooded with recorded messages of concern from her friends Miho and Rika, as well as Tsubasa. But Sakura had not noticed the barrage of anxious voices, wondering why she—who had never missed a lecture in her life—had been absent for such an extended period of time. Sakura had kept herself busy by walking around the city and wandering in the parks. Her book bag was always with her and she found that she had no problem learning on her own from the textbook while she sat alone on a park bench. By the time Sakura had noticed the blaring of her answering machine, it was late at night and it had been at least four days later.

Tsubasa's voice rang out into her living room as she had stepped out of the shower, dressed in her clothes and towel-drying her clothes at precisely 11 o' clock at night when she had finally realized how worried everyone was about her absence.

" _Mamiya-san, you missed another lecture today. Are you feeling well? I called you several times already over the past few days. Do you want me to come over and get you some soup? I tried knocking on the door yesterday but no one was home. Did something happen? Miho-san and Rika-san have also voiced their concerns to me. If there's anything wrong, please phone us back as soon as possible, Mamiya-san…_ " There was a pause. " _It… I'm really worried about you. So please… phone back._ "

The silence that had come after the long beep left Sakura feeling strangely empty with guilt. She had picked up the phone straight after and made a call back to Tsubasa to let her know that she was merely feeling down lately from stress and was just taking a break. After much interrogation, she assured Tsubasa that she was keeping up with her studies at home and would return to classes next week. Then, she had thanked him for the several calls, apologized again, and set the phone down when he had hung up after a 'Good Night.'

Sitting back against the couch, watching the ceiling fan whirl round and round, Sakura sighed.

"Four days ago, I realized that I was… no… I am still in love with Rokudo-kun… for the first time, after four years," she murmured to herself.

Such a revelation should've bothered her. Down-to-earth sensible Sakura Mamiya had never been in love before. It wasn't a feeling she was familiar with at all. Sure, in the past boys had confessed to loving her before (one of them was Tsubasa of course) but she had never felt anything more than simple friendship for them. Her head was always up in the clouds, always seeing the sensible logical routes in relationships. Even if she thought something was romantic, it was a mere idle passing thought in her head. She had never equated herself to ever being a girl in love.

And now she realized that she was, and always had been, since the day she had first met Rokudo-kun.

Maybe she had fallen for him sometime along the way, but still, it had started with that inevitable first meeting.

Instead of feeling bothered by this sudden realization in her heart, Sakura Mamiya suddenly felt liberated for the first time in many years, as if she had just lifted up a heavy boulder off her chest. She had never felt so free… so honest with herself in so long.

She was in love.

 _She was in love with Rinne Rokudo._

She was in love and _she knew it_ and she couldn't help the swooping sensation in her body that came with her realization.

But Rinne wasn't here anymore.

And then, all of her feelings, her liberation and happiness, sunk down deep into a spiral of crushed wishes.

Sakura watched her ceiling fan spin once more.

"…What will I do now?"

* * *

" _Sakura-chan!"_

 _Said-girl spun around, wondering who was calling her. Recognizing her greeter, she smiled widely and replied, "How are you, auntie?"_

" _Ahem, don't you mean_ young woman _or_ Tamako-chan _?" The old (thought she looked incredibly young) shinigami grinded Sakura's head with her fist in a mischievous smile, laughing at Sakura's cried of 'ow-ow-ow' which were so similar to her grandson's._

" _Wait! What are you doing here, aunt—um… sorry, I meant,_ Tamako… chan _?" Sakura corrected herself seeing Rinne's grandmother crack her knuckles at Sakura's slip-up, with that angelic (maybe it was demonic…) smile on her face._

 _Tamako had come up to the human girl as she was walking to the grocery store. Of course, to the people passing by, it appeared that Sakura Mamiya was talking to herself. Muttering about her strangeness and casting her dirty looks, they gave her a wide berth. The shinigami caught the words of_ retard _and_ mental-nut-case _from some of the ruder bystanders._

 _It made the shinigami woman angry to see these random humans judge her grandson's future-wife so harshly (Ok, so maybe Sakura and Rinne weren't even dating yet… but come on! Tamako wanted great-grandkids! Urgh… she was really getting old. Ew.). She made a mental note to fill those jerks a few nightmares about shinigamis later that night as punishment. That would teach them._

 _Anyways… Tamako returned her attention to the girl who her grandson seemed so besotted with, "Valentine's day is coming up, Sakura-chan… I was wondering what you were planning to get my Rinne-chan as his gift! He may not act like the type, but he just loves chocolate!"_

 _Sakura grinned, "Actually, it's not that hard to believe."_

 _The girl was probably imagining her grandson scrounging around and salivating over the window displays of chocolate in town. Rinne wasn't going to be happy with the images that Tamako was putting into his dear Sakura Mamiya. Oh well, it was always good to have girl-time after all—especially since Tamako had a good feeling that Sakura Mamiya would be part of the family some day._

" _So you_ are _getting chocolate for him! You naughty girl!"_

 _She grinned happily seeing Sakura's slight blush. The shinigami woman loved seeing young romance blossom._

" _It's nothing special really. I'm getting him the same amount of chocolate that I get for everyone else…," Sakura trailed off. "We're friends after all."_

 _At the word 'friends' Tamako frowned. Oh no, that wouldn't do at all to have Sakura assume that what she and Rinne-chan had was friendship of all things. Nope, it would not stay that way for long…_

" _Aren't you going to add anything special on it for him?" Tamako prompted carefully._

"… _Special? Whatever for?" Sakura asked, confused._

 _It was hard to work with both her and Rinne-chan sometimes. They were both so dense and clueless when it came to realizing their own feelings. Tamako didn't even want to think how much trouble it would be to show the two lovebirds how to woo each other, but_ someone _had to do it. After all, if Tamako didn't give Sakura the little push (since Rinne-chan was so stubborn about these things) then who would?_

 _Besides, she_ needed _to watch this romance develop, damn it! She had the recording equipment and_ everything _to immortalize the unraveling of her grand-son's youthful romance to show her future great-great-great… (well, you get the point) grandchildren!_

 _It was then that Tamako held Sakura's emerald gaze, face stern and calm as she told her, "Sakura-chan… there will come a time where you realize that you truly love a man. When that time comes, you will have to fight for that man to get your own feelings across. Do what you can to tell him your feelings, and then the rest will be up to him. But you can't let that chance fly by, Sakura-chan, no matter what—or you will regret it."_

 _Perturbed, Sakura nodded slowly, "…alright aunt—I mean, Tamako-chan… if you say so."_

 _She grinned down at her, "It probably won't make sense now… but I'm sure there will come a time when you remember what I told you, and when that time comes, I'll help you out Sakura-chan. I promise."_

 _After all, she's going to be family, Tamako thought gleefully._

 _Sakura smiled, though she didn't really understand what Tamako was going on about, "I appreciate it."_

* * *

She had never noticed how many couples walked through the park before until now.

It had never hurt so much to watch other people in love until she had finally noticed. Her heart clenched every time she saw another pair walk past, hands intertwined. It brought back memories of another boy's warm hand as he clutched on to hers, as if it were the only line in the world, red flames blaring back at her when she stared into his eyes.

 _Rinne._

Her heart clenched again, once more.

"…I'm such an idiot…," Sakura sighed, smiling dimly to herself. "It seems typical of me to come to a conclusion like this four years later. I wonder what Rinne would say now…"

She also wondered if he would smile, hearing his first name from her lips.

Like she had done for the past week, after completing her work in a completely absorbed self-study session, Sakura skipped her feet along the small stream that ran through the green park. She let her feet tiptoe from stone to stone, each of which were just above the trickling water which was beginning to cool in the coming winter, and merely sighed wistfully at herself.

The sad smile was still on her face.

* * *

" _You won't give up… will you … Sakura-chan?"_

 _The weak voice barely audible over the sound of blaring machines in the middle of the road, drifted into Sakura's ears like an angel's voice. Around her it was hell. Paramedics and policemen ran back and forth in a chaotic frenzy, while all Sakura could remember was the flashing of red and blue lights, the dark of night, the ache of her heart and the weakening pulse of her only mother._

 _Why did this have to happen?_

 _There had been a car crash. Sakura Mamiya had been saved… somehow, she didn't really understand it, but she was alive with only merely gashes on the side of her head and arms to prove it. Her mother, her only living relative besides herself left now, had not been so lucky._

 _Glass decorated her mother's stomach in a mush of deep-dark red. The bare smell and sight of such gushing liquid sent Sakura's insides into a fury—she wanted to throw up in spite of herself. But she could only see her mother's face, her mother's calm smile and her beautiful green eyes as she smiled up at her crying daughter._

 _Her mother's hands shook so violently, so fragilely, as they lifted up to touch Sakura's in a soft touch._

"… _Sakura-chan…," her mother repeated weakly once again, "… promise me… that you won't give up, no matter what. I'm here for you… so please, keep going to school… please don't give up… please… keep…"_

" _Keep what?" Sakura choked out, "Keep what?"_

"Keep trying _."_

" _Keep trying? Keep trying for what? Mom! Mom, wake up! Mom, please… wake up!"_

 _Her mother was dead. But that couldn't be true… because if her mother was dead, than that would mean that Sakura would've seen her ghost by then, just like the time with her father's ghost…_

 _But then it occurred to her that Rinne took that gift away from her a mere two years prior and she had never seen the red-headed shinigami again…_

 _She had never hated the shinigami before, but in that moment, she came close._

* * *

Maybe… because she was in love with him.

But at that time, she had not known it.

Sakura sometimes wondered about that memory. Her mother's death seemed so far away and yet so near to her at times. It was yet another nagging reminder.

As Sakura stared at her parent's graves, which were side by side, she felt something in her heart stir.

"Keep trying…," Sakura repeated to herself.

"Oh… hey, Sakura-chan," said a voice from behind her.

Spinning around, she caught the eyes of her two friends, Rika and Miho. Gratefully, Sakura nodded back at them, happy for the interruption of her melancholy moments.

"Hi. How are you?"

"Fine. What about you?" Miho asked with concern.

"Tsubasa told us that you're taking a break. You could've left us a message too, you know," Rika stuck out her tongue playfully.

Sheepishly Sakura smiled, "I'm sorry. I'll remember next time."

"Nope. No next time. We're going to de-stress you! Come on, let's go to the arcade! I want to play this new game!" Rika pulled Sakura along.

"Alright, alright!"

For the first time in several months, Sakura smiled genuinely with her friends, silently thanking them for cheering her up when she needed.

 _That's it… I have to keep trying._

 _Living._

* * *

" _Daddy…? Is that you?" a younger Sakura ventured out to her window, where she saw a mournful figure watch her mother from the other window to the house._

 _The figure jumped in surprise, eyes widening as they surveyed his daughter in surprise. For the longest time, the figure seemed too speechless to speak._

"… _Sakura-chan… you can see me…?"_

" _Of course I can! I told mama that I could see you, but she didn't believe me. She thought I was being bad for telling nasty lies…," Sakura scrunched up her nose, clearly upset, "But you can go tell her now that I can see you! Tell mama that I wasn't lying."_

 _Her father was still speechless. He seemed to be unable to move._

 _After a pregnant pause, Sakura tilted her head, "Daddy?"_

"… _Amazing… you… you can really see me… Oh thank god, Sakura-chan…"_

 _He moved forward, and Sakura watched in amazement as her father actually phased through the wall (well, he_ was _floating about 8 feet in the air by her window, it shouldn't have been too surprising) and then wrapped his arms around her… but she couldn't_ feel _it. She couldn't feel his touch._

 _Why?_

" _How are you doing that, Daddy? What's going on? Are you a magician?" Little Sakura shot her questions into the air like a cannon, eager for answers._

 _Her father stroked her hair, but all Sakura could feel was icy coldness running through her body at the touch, and she shivered. His mouth ghosted across her ear as he whispered, "Daddy's dead, honey. He can't hug you anymore."_

 _Slowly, Sakura frowned. "Dead? Like… like my cat?"_

" _Yes… just like your cat…"_

" _But… but you're right here! You said my cat was dead and she wasn't coming back! So how come you're dead, and you're still here?" Sakura shot out her next barrage of questions._

" _Because I'll never leave you again, honey. Never. I'll stay by your side. It'll be our little secret."_

 _But as his hands brushed against hers, all Sakura could feel was an icy cold._

* * *

Miho and Sakura watched with interest as Rika jeered at her screen, yelling obscenities at the animated computer characters that were steadily beating her by many points. The arcade was loud, noisy and as colorful as usual. Boisterous noises resounded within the walls of the modernized building, pings and cheers echoed from various areas of the gaming center. There was a line of mere fighter and racer games, while a row of shooter and more-carnival like games lined the back of the arcade. At the corner, various students were playing DDR with great zeal.

Leaning her head against the window plane, laughing lightly at Rika's antics, Sakura had not felt so carefree in a long time. Her very nature was always serene, peaceful and pleasant, but she had not felt this serene since her mother had died, since Rinne had left. Her change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by her more perceptive friend, Miho.

"Sakura-chan… I'm glad to see you've returned to your old self," Miho grinned at her quietly, so that Rika could not hear them. "What's got you all happy lately?"

"Hm?" She didn't think that it had been that obvious.

Her friend looked at her knowingly, "I am more perceptive than most, Sakura-chan. I've noticed."

Blushing lightly from embarrassment, Sakura nodded, "Right. I'm sorry if you thought I assumed less."

"No problem. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't?" Miho hummed with silent delight.

They both settled into a companionable silence. Miho had always been the more reliable and wiser of her two friends. Sakura wondered vaguely if she should ask Miho for advice, or tell her about her problems. Then she refrained from doing so.

Something about the relationship between Rinne and herself was still private. She didn't think she could talk about it so casually with her friends at this point. In fact, she wondered if she could ever tell someone about her feelings for Rinne… was it worth it anymore? He was no longer here in her life. It seemed impossible for her to track him down even if she wanted to. Besides, what would she say once she saw him?

Hi Rinne, I know it's been four years and you promised that I'd never see you again but I just wanted to tell you that I finally realized that I've always been in love with you.

Even in her mind, it sounded extremely corny and overrated.

There was no way Sakura could do something like that, even if it was for Rinne. They hadn't seen each other in four years. Any chance she had with him… was dead.

"I've always loved you!"

Both Miho and Sakura looked up with surprise as an out-of-breath high school girl confessed out of the blue to a high school senior boy. Many gamers looked up with interest at the unfolding of the dramatic twist into their day. Maybe this would make for some interesting gossip.

Sakura couldn't help but feel bad for the poor girl who was getting so much unneeded attention regarding her confession. But that pity she felt was mixed with something else… a touch of envy that this girl could do what she couldn't, so many years ago.

The boy who had been confessed to looked absolutely tongue-tied at first. He was a handsome one; it was no wonder that the girl was attracted to him. But Sakura could see that he had a prideful streak from the way his eyes glittered with slight apprehension and unnamed emotions that Sakura couldn't quite decipher. He seemed quite trapped, a slight blush and widening of amber eyes at the girl before him, before he began to glower once more.

"What are you doing, Kagome? I don't need this, go away!" The boy scowled at her.

Just when Sakura was expecting the girl to cry or give up, Kagome scowled at the boy, pulling him by the ear, "What are _you_ doing, Inuyasha? I just confessed to you! Are you going to give me an answer or not?"

"Like hell I will, it's not as if I expected you suddenly proclaim undying love to me. Who asked you to do that?"

A slap jolted Sakura as Kagome raised her hand to Inuyasha's face with tear-filled eyes. "Inuyasha, you jerk!"

The girl ran out of the arcade, while laughter followed her. Inuyasha stood speechless, conflicted between his group of friends and the girl that had ran away from him.

"Whoa… what an ass," Rika huffed.

Behind her, Sakura was more troubled by the scene.

"Why did she do that…?" Sakura asked slowly. "Why did she confront him about her feelings when it's obvious he won't accept them?"

Only Miho had caught Sakura's silent musings. Sensing that her friend was not talking about the incident that had just taken place, but rather, something more personal, she decided to be careful with her response.

"… Well, at least he knows," Miho said shrewdly.

"But—"

"Just watch, Sakura-chan," Miho pointed back to the boy.

Inuyasha was angry again, but this time he ignored his friend's comments as he raced out of the arcade, yelling the girl's name, "Kagome! Kagome, wait up!"

Sakura stood speechless and dumbfounded.

Miho, watching this, smiled again, "He went after her."

"…Yeah, he did."

* * *

" _Were they yelling again?"_

 _Sakura nodded sadly at her father, her ghost of a father who hovered over her as she walked down the sidewalk in silence. It happened often over the year that she had discovered (with some explanations from her father) that she could see ghosts. Often she and her father conversed with other spirits who had lost their lives in tragic accidents, but to passer-bys, Sakura began to be labeled as a problem-child… and a liar._

 _It often bothered Sakura to have people accuse her of such things, because she knew that she was telling the truth. There were other people out there who were suffering and merely needed someone to talk to and to be sympathetic to their cause of death so that they could move on. Her father, however, did not share that sentiment after a while. He began to advise Sakura to avoid other ghosts altogether, besides herself._

" _It's best to let them believe what they want to believe, honey. Not everyone is open to new beliefs," her father said wisely._

" _Yeah… but I still hate that Mama can't see you," Sakura told him._

 _Her father nodded once more, returning to silence._

" _Sakura-chan… honey, do you remember what I told you about today?"_

 _Her face brightened, "I do!"_

" _Today is Daddy's death anniversary and today Daddy has decided to move on to the afterlife. Do you remember what I told you?" He asked gently._

" _That you love me and you always will. That I have to keep smiling and being strong for mama so that when you meet again in the next life, you can be at peace. I know, Daddy," Sakura chirped._

 _He smiled sadly, tears in his eyes. "That's right, honey. I love you very much."_

" _Love you too, Daddy! I'll see you again, on the other side," Sakura told him._

" _Be happy, honey. When you grow up to be a big girl, make me proud, alright? Be strong for your mama and me."_

 _A bright light enveloped Sakura; she felt warmth brush her sides as something whooshed past her, as if there was a flutter of wings…_

 _And he was gone._

* * *

The letter was there in her mailbox—again. This time, though, Sakura did not throw it into the pile of assorted gifts that had accumulated in the corner of her living room over the past four years. Instead, Sakura dared herself to open the letter, and actually read the contents inside.

 _Don't give up._

 _Fight for it._

She smiled, because she finally understood what Tamako was trying to tell her, in these forbidden (by Rinne) letters.

Tucking the words into her pocket, Sakura walked over to the phone, dialing Tsubasa's number. She had a few things to ask the exorcist, and a number of matters to settle with him.

Just outside, the wind chimes rang.

* * *

 _What will you do now, Sakura Mamiya?_

" _I'm going to see him again."_


	3. Part 3

_For every love, there is a sacrifice._

* * *

Tsubasa's face broke out into a huge smile upon seeing her. His cheerful demeanor, which bordered on unnaturally hopeful and naïve, made her steps feel lighter. She knew that she was lucky to have a friend like him.

That was just it, though.

 _A friend_.

It was far from what Tsubasa really wanted—and she knew this. But Sakura had dropped the hints over the years and had kept a firm grip on the distance, never to be crossed, in their platonic (on her part) relationship. If Tsubasa had not realized what she was saying by now (or was just refusing to realize) then there was only one course of action left.

It meant breaking his heart. It meant rejecting him face to face. It meant telling him that she was in love with another.

She winced, it sounded a lot harsher in her mind then she had meant it to. But it had to be done. At this rate she felt as if she were leading him on. It wasn't fair to Tsubasa, to keep pretending as if she didn't know who her feelings were for, when had been there for her through everything, She owed it to him. He had to be the first to know about her newly-realized feelings.

Sakura wasn't used to such things. She had always been more of an air-head, for lack of better word. She had never thought that she'd land herself into this position.

And yet, here she was.

All for a certain red-haired sort-of shinigami, who haunted her every thought.

* * *

 _Tsubasa could still remember the sound of his own heart breaking when he saw Sakura standing motionlessly in the middle of the school yard, staring past the spectral figures that were dancing in front of her, as if she couldn't see them—which was ridiculous. Of course, Sakura could see them. She had been the first person—first girl—his age that he had met who could_ see _the same things that he did. Of course she could see the ghosts wandering in front of her._

 _But then, as he got closer, he felt doubt squeeze his chest like an unwinding snake._

 _Sakura, though a ghost shifted through her, was still looking forlornly at the sky. It was as if she couldn't feel them, even if she wanted to…_

 _No… It couldn't be…._

" _Mamiya-san," Tsubasa called out, running towards her, worry etched into every inch of him._

 _If she was hurt… If something had happened… If she had been abused in any way… If… If… If…_

 _She turned around. His heart literally stopped, like time had frozen it. His lips had parted in unconscious shock; his brain was barely processing the improbability, the absurdity of seeing his precious Mamiya-san, who was always_ smiling _so prettily in this state._

 _Her lips were still curved upwards, like rope was hanging them up reluctantly. But that didn't concern Tsubasa. It was the confusion and hurt in her usually-glittering green eyes. It was the emptiness behind her stance. It was the lone tear that had escaped from the corner of her right eye and slid alone down her pale cheek._

 _It was the picture of utter abandonment._

 _He knew who to blame upon the moment he laid eyes on that tear. He knew who it was that Sakura revered so highly. He knew only one person who would be so stupid enough to act callously without considering her feelings._

" _Rokudo did something… didn't he?"_

* * *

"Are you feeling better, Mamiya-san?" Tsubasa inquired, after making sure to order them both a couple of milkshakes and burgers.

Sakura would've been satisfied with the fries, but Tsubasa had insisted on treating her. At this rate, her guilt would quadruple—especially with her incoming blunt rejection. She nibbled on the rest of her burger, trying not to feel so villainous. It had to be done. She would be too guilty otherwise, continuing on as if she were oblivious when she wasn't anymore.

She wished he wouldn't smile so much around her, it made her job harder. He deserved someone who wouldn't hurt him like this.

 _Oh, you mean how Rinne hurt you?_ A snide, unwelcome voice whispered in her head.

Frowning to herself, Sakura buried the voice deep within her head. She didn't need such things right now.

 _You want to see Rinne, don't you? At least one more time. You need to do this, and you need Tsubasa's help._

"Tsubasa-kun." Sakura took a deep breath, "I have to tell you something."

Pausing in mid-bite, his eyes lit up, as they always did whenever she directed any attention towards him. His direct eagerness was one of the traits about the exorcist which made his feelings so obvious. But Sakura, being Sakura, had always had eyes for Rinne. She hadn't been aware, back then, why her eyes and ears always seemed more perceptive when it came to her mysterious yet aloof classmate or why she was always automatically drawn to him.

It had taken her this long to figure it out.

"What is it, Mamiya-san? You know that you can tell me anything," Tsubasa told her cheerfully.

Swallowing back the bile that seemed to pile up in her throat, Sakura looked him in the eye and shook her head, "Tsubasa-kun… I'm sorry. I haven't been fair to you for the past four years."

Confusion passed through Tsubasa's black orbs, before a panicked understanding seemed to flood over, "Wait… what are you talking about?"

"I know that you have strong feelings for me since we met when we were kids… and I feel flattered about it. Honestly. When I recall those days, I remember being glad to have made such a great friend—you're _still_ a great friend. But… I just realized a couple of days ago… that this whole time, I've been pining after someone who walked away from me so many years ago," Sakura breathed in again, the words that had been locked up tightly in her heart, overflowing in front of the boy who had stood by her for all this time, she blinked back a few tears. "I know you care about me. But I think you should be the first person I tell this too, and you deserve to hear it from me… I… I'm in still—I mean, I always have been—in love with Rinne."

Wordlessly, Tsubasa sat back against his seat, as if someone had sucked the life out of him. In that moment, Sakura wished that she could just disappear. She felt ashamed for doing this to him, but she couldn't just _lie_ to one of her best friends.

Surprisingly, Tsubasa smiled sadly, "So… you finally realized it."

* * *

 _Sakura had stepped away from him, shaking her head and smiling as she wiped her tears away, "Oh, no. It has nothing to do with him. I just got some sand in my eye. I was just going to go ask Miho-chan about the homework… I think I better get to it…," she dared to look Tsubasa in the eye, as if he were blind to the whole affair, her tears, "I'll see you later, Tsubasa-kun."_

" _Wait! Mamiya-san, please, don't lie to me, there must be something he did—"_

" _No."_

 _He stopped, frozen by the strangely happy tone in her voice. What was the matter, how could she be acting so chipper when it was so clear that she was suffering?_

 _And that smile… oh that smile…_

 _It was so fake. Anyone who didn't know her any better wouldn't have been able to tell, wouldn't have been able to see the absence of the twinkle in her emerald orbs, but he was always watching her. He knew. He also knew part of the 'why'._

" _Rokudo—"_

" _I'm fine, Tsubasa-kun," she said in such a Sakura-way that Tsubasa himself could've been fooled, "There's nothing wrong."_

No… _thought Tsubasa,_ there _is_ something wrong… you just don't know it yet.

* * *

Finding the situation reversed, Sakura found herself being the confused one instead, as she tried to comprehend what Tsubasa meant by his words. After several moments of staring blankly at Tsubasa's wary smile and the way the straw in his medium-sized drink seemed to curve into an L-shaped head of a horse, Sakura understood.

"You knew this already, didn't you…?" Sakura accused him gently, feeling slightly embarrassed about having to go so far as confessing her feelings for another guy in front of someone who already knew about them long before she did.

When Tsubasa nodded forlornly, Sakura frowned.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She implored.

"Because I like you," Tsubasa answered simply, his trademark smile quirking up half-an-inch.

Still, she didn't understand and, bluntly, she told him so.

Running a hand through his silky black locks, Tsubasa couldn't seem to stop grinning. It was as if he were a child caught behind a very naughty act, such as sneaking cookies from the kitchen before dinner. But in reality, Sakura could see the sadness and bitterness under that silly yet endearing grin that the exorcist always wore. In realization, she suddenly saw that he was just as nervous as her.

This was the first time that they'd been so honest with one another in a conversation.

She didn't know what to think of that.

"Look… how do I say this without sounding like an even bigger jerk…?" Tsubasa laughed a little at himself, delaying for time. "I guess the best thing I can come up with is… I was selfish. I thought that if you didn't notice your apparent affection for Rokudo, then maybe you'd realize that I was the one for you."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Tsubasa raised a hand to stop her.

"It probably doesn't make sense to you, Mamiya-san… but you were my first love. You were a wonderful kind girl who I fell for instantly at the age of eight. I always regretted having to move away from you because I saw how difficult it was for you to be close to anyone—especially with your secret—our secret.

"We can—well; _you used to_ —see ghosts, Mamiya-san. That fact… it distances people from us. We're different. You did a good job of hiding it by befriending spirits and whatnot, but even you have to admit… it was lonely.

"I was so glad to find someone else my age that could see ghosts that I guess it just helped my feelings along. I adored you, Mamiya-san. I still do. When I moved back to town, the first thing I did was try to find a school where you'd have most likely enrolled in if you were still living here. I was determined to make up for lost time…

"But I suppose I was too late, even then. You'd already met Rinne. Maybe he had already stolen you away—I don't know when you first started to fall for him. But I noticed. All through high school, I noticed the way you looked at him… and..." Tsubasa trailed off; looking distant, "never mind. Anyways, after the whole incident four years ago, I know it's awful, but I was a little optimistic. I thought that this was the opportune time to try to win you over, to show you that it was a waste to even spare that half-rate shinigami a second glance but…"

Her heart ached as he spoke painfully, full of regret, that Sakura didn't know what to say but a pitiful, "Tsubasa-kun…"

He shook his head, "No, you don't have to say anything Mamiya-san. It's not your fault. You didn't choose to feel this way…," he grinned at her sheepishly again, "You can help who you love."

"I can't help but think I should be telling you that, instead," Sakura amicably replied back.

"Yeah, well," Tsubasa blushed, "it was hard not too."

"Tsubasa-kun, I…"

"You don't owe me anything, Mamiya-san. I'm not angry… in fact; I guess I saw this coming. I was just too stubborn to admit it."

* * *

" _Where are you?"_

 _He had searched the school as soon as the homeroom teacher had announced that Rinne Rokudo would be inexplicably moving away and thus unable to continue attending their high school. Immediately, the exorcist had stormed out of the classroom, despite the weak protests of his teacher, and went straight to the abandoned school building. This was more than coincidence. Tsubasa knew that the damned shinigami had something to do with this…_

" _Rokudo, damn it! Come on out!" Tsubasa hollered, "I'm not fooled by this empty carcass of a room. Get your butt out of here and explain what you did to Mamiya-san!"_

" _Well… you move quicker than I expected," said an aloof voice behind him._

 _Whirling around, Tsubasa faced stoic red eyes with anger, "She was crying, Rokudo! Crying!"_

 _The sort-of shinigami's eyes widened a fraction upon Tsubasa's mention of tears. Something like raw pain flashed across his face, but he hid it too quickly for Tsubasa to be entirely sure. But the exorcist didn't doubt what he (thought he had) saw. The sort-of shinigami was always easy for Tsubasa to blow up at, especially for little (rare) instances of emotion that the sort-of shinigami showed around him._

 _It made Tsubasa angrier. Obviously, the thought of hurting Sakura Mamiya in anyway hurt Rokudo too, so what had he done it?_

 _Never did it cross Tsubasa's mind that Rokudo might not have had anything to do with her tears. He knew, without any misgivings, that it took a lot more than a simple boy to phase Mamiya-san. There was only one boy that she seemed to open her heart to without a thought, when it took all of Tsubasa's work to get her to even look at him in the same way she did with Rokudo, and that was Rinne Rokudo himself._

Why? _Thought Tsubasa,_ why would you push her away, when it's so obvious you _care_?

" _She wouldn't even admit it! Explain!"_

 _Rokudo merely stood still, looking as if someone had taken half of his heart and smashed it to pieces. He had never seen the sort-of shinigami look so… dejected, so… devoid of any emotion. It was actually kind of scary. The emptiness in Rokudo's eyes, the mere submission and lack of any feeling, really scared Tsubasa._

 _Soon, he wasn't only worrying for Mamiya-san's sake… but for Rokudo as well. He didn't like to admit it, but his rival was also one of the closest things he had to a friend. They had good memories of exorcising spirits together, all three of them, including Rokumon, chasing after corrupt damashigamis and the like. There was always something innocent within their bonds, that sometimes Tsubasa secretly wished that it would never end. He could stay like this forever._

 _He feared that it was all falling apart._

 _Then Rokudo spoke, his voice level and terrifyingly stoic, "It's just business, Jumonji. I was just saying goodbye."_

 _Just business…? Since when did Rokudo treat Sakura Mamiya like some random associate? How dare he disregard their relationship like that…?_

" _Don't give me that… that crap! Just business? You and I both know that what you feel for Mamiya-san goes way beyond anything platonic!"_

 _There was silence, as Tsubasa was busy heaving and trying to catch his breath, words knocked out of him._

 _Rokudo merely stood impassively, still as stone, staring at him mechanically. Something seemed to stir beneath the sort-of shinigami's red depths. But Tsubasa couldn't be sure. This Rokudo was a stranger to him… he didn't even reprimand him, or answer or…_

" _Stop this… stop acting so… like you don't care!" Tsubasa said angrily. "What's happening to you?"_

 _Rokudo was turning away, but Tsubasa wasn't going to let it end this way. He reached out to grab the sleeve of Rokudo's haori roughly but Rokudo tugged it away violently—as if Tsubasa wasn't even there._

 _This wasn't Rokudo. It_ couldn't _be Rokudo. Sure, the guy was cold as hell, but not_ this _cold!_

" _Rokudo—"_

" _Why don't_ you _stop?"_

 _The cold reply shocked Tsubasa so much, that he froze in place, wondering what Rokudo was talking about._

 _He didn't speak for several minutes, lost, then, "Stop… stop what? You're being ridiculous! What—"_

" _Stop pretending you care what happens to me," Rokudo, back turned, said softly. "I'm out of the picture now. You have no more competition. Sakura Mamiya is all yours."_

 _The footsteps resumed their exit._

" _Wait… no… I… Rokudo, damn it, wait and listen—"_

"… _Take care of her for me…," came the soft, and final, reply._

 _The door shut. Tsubasa ran towards it, grabbing the knob and then racing out to try and catch Rokudo and knock some sense into him but there was no one in sight._

 _It was as if Rokudo had never been there in the first place._

" _Rokudo!" Tsubasa yelled, listening as his frustrated echoes pounded through the halls and the only one to hear the, was himself._

You idiot _, he thought,_ this doesn't get rid of _any_ competition. You already won a long time ago.

* * *

"I always tried to convince myself there was still a chance…but deep down I always knew, you love him," Tsubasa said, "and there's nothing I can do about it. I've seen for myself that it's very strong and until you come into terms with it, I don't think you're going to let go any time soon."

Sakura felt tears come into her eyes, as she tried to smile them away. It didn't seem to be working.

Alarm burned into Tsubasa's face at the sight of her reddening eyes, "Ah—I 'm so stupid! I didn't mean to make you cry or anything. I'm so sorry, I should've kept my big mouth shut, I was just really glad to get that off my chest and—"

"No, no… it's ok… it's honestly ok," Sakura assured him, laughing while crying at the same time. "It's weird. I actually feel kind of better about this whole thing after talking to you," she held his worried gaze with a genuine smile, "Thank you Tsubasa-kun. I mean, thank you for everything. I don't know what I would do without you."

Looking down, Tsubasa mumbled, "I wouldn't really mind if you smiled like that more often…"

Knowing that they had made peace with each other and Tsubasa's unrequited feelings, Sakura couldn't help but let her lips widen. She knew that with this out of the way, she could become closer friends with Tsubasa, without feeling as if she were cheating him. Now she could ask him for the favor she had come for.

"Well, from the look of things, I think I will be. Just after I get some unfinished business settled. And I kind of need your help for that…"

His knowing look told her that he wouldn't need too many explanations. So she continued.

"I was wondering… if you could help me find a damashigami."

* * *

 _For every love, there is a sacrifice._

 _But for every love returned, there is all the more reward._


	4. Part 4

" _Am I just a headache to you after all, Sakura Mamiya?"_

* * *

"Wait... you want me to find a... a damashigami?" The exorcist exclaimed so loudly that the other occupants in the restaurant threw him startled looks (and some pitying gazes towards Sakura Mamiya).

Unperturbed, she merely blinked at him. Tsubasa wondered briefly if Sakura had any sense of self-preservation at all. She was always so damn calm about everything, even in trifling with dangerous matters such as damashigami. He had sort of missed that aspect about her over the last four years, but now that it was resurfacing, along with her own new-found realizations, Tsubasa wondered if that was truly a good thing for her.

"Yes. I can't see spirits anymore, as you already know. But there is a way for ordinary human beings to see spirits and the like, and that's if they attract the attention of a damashigami. I just figured that it would be the simplest way to gain my ability to see otherworldly entities again," Sakura explained as a matter-of-factly.

She didn't see what the big deal was.

"I don't know if you're aware of this Mamiya-san, but damashigami are dangerous creatures. You shouldn't go around making deals with them," Tsubasa lowered his tone to a harsh whisper, after getting scolded by some restaurant staff that had threatened him (with a mere glare) to throw them out. "Why in the world would you want to—wait, forget I asked. It's about Rokudo, isn't it?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Who else would it have been about? Tsubasa should've known that as soon as Sakura came into terms with her own feelings for that sort-of shinigami, that she would do anything in order to see him again and set him straight. She was a very straightforward girl, who wouldn't rest in peace with unresolved matters. She had shown this when she had blatantly confessed her feelings for Rinne in front of him, thus rejecting his own affections for her.

This was one hell of a situation and Tsubasa wasn't going to let her place herself in mortal danger for someone who didn't want to be found.

"This is ridiculous, Mamiya-san," Tsubasa told her so, "What if they take your soul to the wheel of reincarnation? You could die! All this just to see spirits again?"

Something like sorrow flickered through her eyes, and Sakura shrugged. "I know that, for you, seeing ghosts made you lonely... but, for me, it was a gift. I had extra time with my father and I met you and Rinne this way. I was really happy to see things other people weren't able to, I felt very blessed. When Rinne took that away from me, I felt very betrayed. Sometimes... I almost hate him for it."

Tsubasa was silent. Before he met Rokudo, he had always thought of spirits as enemies to be eliminated and exorcised. He had never thought of them as lingering human beings, who still had business to attend to in order to pass on. Sakura understood that about the red-headed shinigami, it was probably one of the qualities that attracted her to him. She was compassionate when it came to spirits too—unlike Tsubasa.

He was beginning to understand more and more, every single day, why they cared about each other so much.

"Mamiya-san... don't make me do this...," Tsubasa pleaded. "I can't go and put you in danger... Just think about this first, we can find another way. Rokudo wouldn't want you to put your life at risk for him, even if he _did_ take your sight away."

Sakura got up, and she gave a breathtaking smile, "That's just it. He wouldn't want me to do it. But I will anyways."

* * *

 _For several seconds, Sakura Mamiya had not spoken. A few more minutes slipped past before Rinne grew slightly anxious, wondering what thoughts were running rampant through that human girl's head, behind those carefree emerald eyes when she merely shook her head and looked at him again. Rinne blinked, wondering what she was thinking when Sakura gave him a sheepish smile._

" _I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch what you said," she told him._

 _For a minute, Rinne wanted to fall over, like he did so many times when he was caught off guard by her and her comments, but he steadied himself. Sakura Mamiya was an anomaly to him. She was so easy and yet incredibly difficult to read. At times Rinne would give anything (if he had anything) to know what she thought of him. Her face was just so blank and absentminded, she reminded him of one of the housewives in an anime he had watched once as a child._

 _Really, was it a crime to wonder? He just wanted to know what she thought of him—if she saw him as a nuisance or a troublesome pest to be rid of. Lately he found himself just thinking about her for no reason at all, just trying to figure her out. It bothered him that his mind kept reverting back to images of her when he was feeling down or happy or just… any time of the day. Was he ill? Was he fixated on her because he couldn't quite categorize who she was in his head?_

 _What was it?_

" _I just… never mind," Rinne corrected himself hastily, hoping to change the subject, "I didn't say anything."_

 _Uh oh. She was frowning at him, eyebrows raised in suspicion. He felt as if he were being x-rayed by her. It was always difficult to hide things from Sakura Mamiya for long. She had a way of finding out just what he was avoiding eventually, no matter how long it took. Sometimes Rinne wondered about her stubbornness, the girl wasn't like this around other people was she? The thought, no matter how much Rinne wanted (or didn't want to) bury it, warmed him._

 _It was… dare he say it… kind of nice to think that he was special in Sakura Mamiya's eyes, especially since it was hard to tell with her._

" _Are you sure?" Sakura asked him, "I distinctly remember the sound of your voice…"_

" _I'm sure."_

" _Well…," she glanced at him suspiciously again, and then dropped the topic, eyes softening, "Alright."_

 _They sat together in the classroom again. Somehow, they always managed to be the first ones in homeroom once again, and basked in each other's silence. Rinne wrote down the notes he neglected last night, because of another late night spirit exorcism. His pen made scratch marks all over the page, where his smooth, yet a bit messy, writing lined the blank surface area._

 _He wondered what Sakura Mamiya saw in him. How could she stand sitting quietly with some strange troublemaker like him? Didn't she get bored of him? Other girls her age went nuts over expensive gifts and jewels from their boyfriends. They enjoyed going out on dates, having money spent on them and being fawned over. He sometimes liked to let himself imagine that she came every morning for him, but he failed to see the attraction behind that idea. All they did was sit… in pure silence. How was that enjoyable at all?_

 _In all of the movies that Rinne had watched as a child in his grandfather's house, and with what he had seen in his idiotic father's ways with other women, was that money was what attracted ladies. Women fell in love with power and money, both of which he did not possess. Back then, Rinne could've cared less about dating or girls. Now a days, when it came to Sakura (especially with all of Jumonji's annoying hints and attempts to date her), he thought differently._

 _But Tsubasa wasn't a bad man. Yes, he was an idiot, but at least he had the means to take care of her._

"… _But what do I have…?" Rinne wondered out loud._

 _A brush of braids made Rinne jump up in his seat, eyes landing on Sakura Mamiya who looked over at him with a worried face, "Are you sure you're alright, Rokudo-kun?"_

 _Her voice made his heart flutter. He felt some heat rush to his face, but he averted it so that Sakura Mamiya could not see._

" _Just wondering about this math problem," he muttered the excuse under his breath._

" _Oh, I can help you with that," Sakura's face brightened so much that Rinne felt that his heart would burst._

 _His breath hitched as Sakura moved her desk closer to his, their legs tangling for just a moment as Sakura chanted an apology. But shivers ran up his spine at the brush of her hands. Sweat began to gather in his palms as Sakura leaned over him, repeating instructions learned from class in a kind and gentle way. What the heck was wrong with him?_

 _He'd been at close proximities with Sakura Mamiya before… so why did his heart still beat faster when ever their hands brushed?_

Why did he think of her so much? Worry? Even… Even…

 _The windows shattered. Sakura Mamiya fell over, colliding into his body. Rinne opened his mouth, hollering at her to get up, to show him that she was ok but then he saw it…_

 _A damashigami._

* * *

When Sakura said her words with that much conviction, really, who was Tsubasa to protest? All it had taken was that bold unwavering look in her eyes and he was sold—reluctantly.

"If you insist on being foolish Mamiya-san… I guess I'll have to come with you for your own protection."

And that was that.

Half an hour later they were in the library, searching up the sketchiest sales ads they could find. Tsubasa blushed as he leafed through a woman's magazine for lingerie. Though the ads screamed of con-artists, Tsubasa doubted it was the work of damashigami.

Now, why were they looking through weird records and internet sites?

"The key to finding a damashigami is to find some sort of scam or con. From what I remember, they're rather thick-headed when coming up with ways to cheat souls from the living. All we have to do is distinguish between the advertisements that are human and those that are made by damashigami…," she had explained to him, as they flipped through a search engine full of links to 'miraculous' hair growth lotions and love charms.

Tsubasa's face had heated up when he saw a replica of his old love pendant among the list, remembering how easily bought he had been by damashigami scams. As a matter of fact, he was probably still that addle-brained at times.

But abruptly, he returned to business. Leafing through a scantily looking magazine, he voiced his thoughts, "I'm still not sure about this, Mamiya-san… There is the chance that we may run into _actual_ human con-artists or those connected to the yakuza with these leads instead of damashigamis. I don't think I've ever tried to catch one before."

She laughed softly, "Yes… well, Ageha-chan always had problems with finding damashigamis too."

He snorted. That shinigami girl with the extremely obvious crush on Rokudo was a little irritating at times, but she was amusing in her attempts to woo him all the same. The exorcist had a lot of respect for her skills in fighting and sending spirits to the other side. He just thought that she could use a bit of common sense in her life.

But he smiled at thoughts of her.

Sakura's lips arched up even further upon observation, "Have you seen her?"

Running a hand through his smooth black hair, Tsubasa shook his head. "When Rokudo decided to vanish off the surface of the planet… so did she. I suppose it was typical, given how infatuated she was—is—with him."

Looking at the rows of books in the room, Sakura mused, "Do you think he's with her?"

Surprised, the exorcist stared at her. Despite Sakura's recent realizations about her feelings, she still hadn't figured out how much Rokudo seemed to reciprocate them. Her obliviousness was both a curse and a blessing.

"No, I doubt it. If anything, she's probably hunting down her sister still… and he's… well, wherever he is. Rokudo isn't the type of guy who would let a female acquaintance be seen in such close terms with him. Knowing that idiot, he's probably traveling alone somewhere with Rokumon, brooding," Tsubasa shook his head in nostalgia.

Her braids fell to the side as she reached a hand out to put it on his shoulder, "You're right… Thank you, Tsubasa-kun."

Both of them returned to their work in silence, before something caught Sakura's attention. It was a picture of a rather fat bunny, wearing a shirt with indiscernible writing on it while his right paw held a fist full of strings, hanging on with every effort, to several lofty balloons. The bunny's face was rather plump and there was a slightly dopy look in his big eyes and large teeth which looked rather familiar…

The memory of the day she was spirited away returned to her like a flood and Sakura's face lit up gloriously, "This is it, Tsubasa-kun! We have our damashigami!"

He had fallen asleep on his page, part of it still sticking to his cheek as he clumsily muttered, "Wha…?"

"Here," she slid the book over to him, "is the first damashigami I ever met. He's the mascot at this extravagant restaurant, the new one that opened up downtown. This new company that my friends talk about, though I'm not sure what the company's name is, opened it up about a week ago. There's even a copy of the menu and events…"

"Whoa! That much money for one bowl of ramen? What a rip-off!" Tsubasa's mouth hung comically wide as his eyes scanned the copy of the brochure in the book. "How are we going to get in? We need to be loaded to afford anything this extravagant."

With a relaxed grin, Sakura shook her head, "Don't worry. I have a lot of money saved up from when my mother died. I'll just take some out of my savings. It's not too much if we just go once… we'll have to choose a day when we'll know for sure that the damashigami is going to be there… and hope its not someone in a similar-looking costume."

"In that case, we can always just sneak in, grab that rabbit and make sure there's no zipper or mask or anything and then run out," Tsubasa joined in. "If we get caught, you can just pay our way out."

"Brilliant," Sakura grabbed his hand in happiness, "we're one step closer to finding Rinne!"

* * *

" _Are you alright, Sakura Mamiya?"_

 _Her safety was his first concern before he turned to glower at the floating damashigami. It merely hovered there, with a simplified scull mask and flowing black cloak that had several tarnished rips at the edges of it. When he returned his silent gaze to her, she was already removing herself from his arms. The absence of warmth made his insides ache considerably, but Rinne shook the urge off. It was utterly inappropriate to think in such a way. After all, he was just a burden to her._

" _I'm fine. Thank you for catching me, Rokudo-kun," she recited, as if from a script. Her focus was on the intruder in the classroom, "What is he doing here?"_

 _Rinne noticed how relaxed she was around him, but the slight quiver in her voice, which he wouldn't have been able to detect before he met her, gave away her nervousness. Instantly he had an urge to reassure her, and was going to cover her hand with his._

" _Don't worry, Sakura Mamiya. I will protect you," he said sincerely, with all the conviction in his heart._

 _The scenario was extremely similar to the time when Sakura had been stalked by a walking camcorder, which had turned out to be from his father. He had sworn to find out the identity of the perverted (he had assumed so) voyeur and put a stop to him. The idea back then, and even now, had horrified him and filled him with the need to keep her safe from all aspects of his work. Of course, Rinne was so obsessed with saving money that sometimes he didn't realize_ how much _he cared about her wellbeing._

 _As expected, Sakura Mamiya didn't even blush. She merely nodded at him blankly, keeping her face carefully neutral, "Alright… but shouldn't you be worrying more about what kind of trouble the damashigami is going to cause you?"_

 _The disappointment in her response (He kicked himself. Why was he expecting Sakura Mamiya to swoon over someone like him?) caused his confidence to drop a bit, and he managed a stoic smile, "He won't be causing any trouble. I'll get rid of him."_

" _Ahem," the impatient damashigami interrupted, "As much as I love listening to the worries of lovebirds, I have a message to give to the young President… It's to be delivered in private, totally confidential, you know?"_

 _Rinne and Sakura exchanged glances before Sakura motioned for Rinne to go. He smiled at her, squeezing her hand once more before letting go. A warm feeling arose with the knowledge that Sakura would be waiting for him back in the classroom._

 _Then he let go of that hand, and followed the damashigami outside._

* * *

It was surprisingly easy to spot the bunny.

Standing inconspicuously by a street light, pretending to be absorbed in the topic of university deadlines, Tsubasa and Sakura let themselves take occasional glances at the entrance to the restaurant. It was several stories high, in a modernist style, resembling those sleek skyscrapers that Tokyo was known for. The sign over head the entrance was large; words scripted in smooth font and delicately articulated form. Neon lights lit up the title of the restaurant— _The Red Wheel—_ while the eight feet revolving doors swept across the floor without a sound as rich clients and customers entered and exited out.

The restaurant was classy beyond the word. It was evident that the company that owned it was very well-off and had no qualms about displaying its omnipotence of wealth.

The bunny standing outside the doors, waving to small toddlers wandering away from their parents, was the only stain that violated this picture of a powerful and influential eating establishment. Clearly the bunny screamed 'nursery school' to all who passed by. Its chubby waddles as it moved from foot to foot were highly endearing to Sakura, who still found a fondness for all things cute.

"Now what?" Tsubasa asked her.

"I guess we don't really need to pay to get in… we can just go over to the rabbit now and ask it some questions."

"Does it even _know_ how to speak our language?" The exorcist wondered.

But Sakura was already making her way down the sidewalk to the bunny, the light shaking of her head the only indication that she had heard his amusing comment.

Too exasperated to even attempt lecturing his friend about the dangers of nonchalantly making conversation with damashigamis, Tsubasa followed her.

"Hello there," Sakura said serenely. "Do you mind if we talk?"

Only Sakura could walk up so calmly to a damashigami and act so casually. Tsubasa shook his head fondly, "Yes, we wanted to ask you some questions…"

This was a bad idea, he felt. What if the damashigami offered a solution to returning Sakura's sight but it turned out to be a scam? It was a con-artist after all…

The rabbit looked at Sakura and Tsubasa as if perplexed.

Ok, Tsubasa told himself, relax and just play it nice and slow… use discretion to get what we want and then leave without getting shammed somehow…

"We know what you are," said Sakura straightforwardly, "and we want some answers."

Tsubasa paled. They were just asking for trouble by walking into this one, what if—

"Die you sinful damashigami!" shouted a familiar voice as the rabbit was chopped in half by a sparkly and bow-decorated scythe. Instantaneously the rabbit burst into a light of colourful aura which vanished upon the scene.

"Ageha?" Tsubasa gaped at the female shinigami, bows and all.

Sakura blinked, "Is that why the rabbit disappeared?"

He nodded, remembering that Sakura couldn't see Ageha, lacking her gift.

"Yes. She exorcised it," he said, to answer her question. Then he looked at Ageha who smiled and hugged them both (though Sakura couldn't feel it).

"How are you two? It's been a while! Hey Sakura-chan, how come whenever I come over to your place, you always ignore me?" Ageha bubbled.

Ageha and Sakura had become friends somewhere during high school. The female shinigami had realized how oblivious Sakura was and she liked having a female friend to talk too. Occasionally she used to stop by Sakura's house for tea or a good girl-to-girl talk. Though sometimes they got jealous of each other over Rinne (not that Sakura ever noticed she was jealous or that Ageha was).

"About that… long story short, Rinne left and took away Mamiya-san's ability to see ghosts," Tsubasa summarized shortly.

The reaction from Ageha was a loud "He did _what?_ "

The exorcist winced. Ageha could be very scary when she was angry—plus she knew how to use that scythe.

"How dare he take away something so precious to my best friend"—Tsubasa had no clue when they had become best friends, it was probably a girl thing…—"and then leave her there? No wonder he went pure evil and became the president of the damashigami company—"

"Wait," interrupted a bewildered Tsubasa, alarm filling his very being, "Did you say he became the _president of the damashigami company_?"

Even Sakura, listening to the one-sided conversation, heard this and went pale, "When did he do that?"

The female shinigami looked from Sakura to Tsubasa sadly, "You don't know that half of it… Tsubasa, tell Sakura that I'm taking you both to the spirit world. We'll find a way to reverse the affects of the potion that Rinne-kun gave Sakura-chan at my house. Then I'll tell you what's been happening for the last few years."

She stared hard at them, so much so that even Sakura, who couldn't see it, felt something ominous.

"It's not pretty."

* * *

 _("Am I just a headache to you after all, Sakura?")_

 _The damashigami led Rinne to the spirit world, into a secluded room, much to his irritation._

" _I thought you were supposed to give me a message, not—"_

" _Hello Rinne."_

 _The sort-of shinigami turned and stiffened at the sound of that voice._

" _Hello Dad."_

 _("Because somehow… I'd be happy being even just a headache to you… if I was allowed to see you every day.")_


	5. Part 5

_For the first time… she felt whole again._

* * *

Stepping back into the human world, Sakura opened her eyes. The colours and shapes greeted her like old friends. The specters and ghostly shapes she had been so accustomed to seeing since childhood surrounded her like limbs long-lost. And it seemed that the second time around, she was seeing and drinking in every detail, every sight, with more vigor than before. She drank in the shades of the every spirit's eye, every buttonhole and thread on their clothes, every silver wrinkle on their ephemeral faces.

She was a blind woman who was being granted the sense of sight again. She was a newborn babe who was being born again. It was a second chance at life, and Sakura couldn't help the awestruck grin that bloomed on her face as she took the time to truly absorb every appearance of the ghosts, shinigamis and damashigamis she could see again. The eager joy that threatened to jump from her throat was the sensation every singer had when they wanted to belt out their voices to the highest notes.

It was truly wonderful to be just alive and breathing again!

Her happiness was infectious, for Tsubasa and Ageha had burst into similar grins, their hands lightly touching as they stood side by side. How long had it been since they'd see the calm level-headed girl this joyful? It had only been too long.

The three of them walked down the streets of Tokyo, past the cars and traffic lights, with slight skips to their steps. Every thing signified hope, meaning, and the wonder of redemption.

But as they neared closer to the restaurant, a chill filled the air, surrounding them with shivers. Ominously, the restaurant stood innocently in front of them, like an ancient oak tree in the background. However, knowing the truth behind _The Red Wheel_ , the trio thought differently.

Somewhere in there, hopefully, was the one they were searching for, Rinne Rokudo.

Sakura wasn't one to be nervous. When she said things, she did them with no qualms, for she had never been a believer in avoiding the question or telling part-truths. If she was going to have a confrontation with Rinne, she would let it all out with all the honesty in her heart.

There would be no point in doing it any other way.

So when Tsubasa, noticing Sakura's sudden silence, asked her if she was alright, she answered truthfully.

"I've never felt more exhilarated."

Tsubasa ran his hand through his dark locks, "You're never one to hide your feelings, are you?"

"Of course she isn't. She's our Sakura-chan after all," Ageha bubbled, putting arms around them both, "Alright! Let's get inside that restaurant and find that stubborn boy!"

This was it.

* * *

 _Visiting the shinigami world after her absence of four years was overwhelming._

 _In the horizon was the outline of the red and yellow wheel of reincarnation. Hovering both menacingly and almost protectively over its expanse in the sky, it still reminded Sakura of a giant Ferris wheel. Tamako had laughed when she had asked her about that time. The elderly shinigami still gushed about how cute Sakura was as a little girl. She wondered if Tamako still remembered that day. Below them were the familiar stalls and selling booths of the shinigami market, where weapons and objects of exorcism were often haggled and bought. Light forests and beautiful feudal-era styled houses were farther left while Sakura saw extravagant houses which resembled Japanese palaces even further._

 _Memories of her adventures with Rinne, Tsubasa, Rokumon and occasionally Ageha flashed before her eyes, bringing both tears and light laughter. How could she have ever blocked this from her mind and pretended to be happy for all these years? This… this was enlightening freedom, being able to acknowledge her feelings and past. She swore never to lie to herself again. She would be more aware, more honest._

 _So that when she met Rinne, she could tell him everything. And then she could move on._

 _Tsubasa squeezed her hand comfortingly when they landed on the ground. He could tell that this was a lot for Sakura to absorb after being aware from supernatural affairs for so long. Ageha and he exchanged worried glances as Sakura kept a carefully blank face._

 _Then Sakura turned away from them silently and said, "Ageha… thank you."_

 _Quietly, Ageha put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "It was the least I could do. I'm glad to help you see it all again."_

" _No… I'm just… really grateful," Sakura explained honestly, not sure how to put her emotions into words. They seemed such an inadequate way to express her feelings, the depth and majesty of it all. Every sentence, phrase and lettering seemed to redundant, too miniscule to ever hope to hold the meaning of any of the wonder and overwhelming emotions she felt at this minute._

 _So Sakura just hugged them both, the tightness in her grip enough to explain what she was feeling._

 _Later, Ageha led them up a stone laden path, sided with lush green grass and a quaint little koi-fish pond shimmering in the golden light. This part of the shinigami world was quiet like a countryside retreat, feeding its habitants with nostalgia and peace. Tsubasa and Sakura took in the beautiful scenery happily, tiring slightly as they were made to climb several hundred stone steps to the top of the fertile green hill._

 _When the trio neared the top, they were awed by the sheer size of Ageha's home. Her house was like a giant mansion, every surface painted with glossy red paint and the rooftops resembling delicately decorated fans. Symmetrical in design with curved rooftops and strong sturdy poles, Sakura and Tsubasa felt as if they were entering into the home of an empress rather than a rich shinigami's domain._

" _How well off is your family, Ageha-san?" Tsubasa whistled in awe. "This is amazing!"_

" _Ah, it's nothing. My family owns several homes like this. This one was just closest," Ageha waved the compliment away._

 _Sakura smiled to herself. If Rinne was here, he probably would've berated the shinigami heiress for such a careless comment about money. Being so laidback about money would probably be an impossible concept for Rinne to grasp. She remembered him mentioning something about rich people being unforgivable about wasting money. It was one of the traits of him that was so adamant and passionate that Sakura couldn't help but admire him for being so open._

" _This way!" Ageha led them into a large meeting room, lined with tatami mats and a large table to sit at. The shinigami motioned for her guests to sit down, and a servant came in to serve them tea. Sakura was impressed by the quality of the tea. It was quite good. Tsubasa was still trying to grasp just how wealthy Ageha was._

" _Alright then… I guess I'll begin my explanation…," Ageha shrugged sheepishly._

 _They nodded and Sakura spoke up, "Are you sure that Rinne is the president of his father's damashigami's company now?"_

 _Ageha's face darkened, "There's no doubt about it. And to make things worse, my sister is working for him and she won't stop kissing up to him even though he's several years younger!"_

" _Huh. The father didn't work out for her so she went for the son?" Tsubasa blinked incredulously, "I feel like we're in some sort of soap opera on T.V."_

" _It's not funny! It's very shameful! I'll kill them both when I get my hands on Rinne and his dad!" Ageha ranted, "Why can't my sister see some sense and just come home?"_

 _Sakura was the picture of calm. She nodded her head at Ageha's outburst, "I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all of this. But let's just hear your version of events first. Then we can decide how to proceed from here."_

" _Yes well…," Ageha began, placing her hands on the table, "I'll start from the beginning. I was hunting for my sister and Sabato as usual. It had been two years since I last saw Rinne and in that time, whenever I tried to visit you Sakura, you didn't look at me or even acknowledge my existence. I know now that it was because you_ couldn't _do that. So I decided to check around, see where Rinne was. I was surprised to learn that he dropped out of your school and had pretty much disappeared._

" _Two years later, I was hearing all sorts of rumours about new policies that the damashigami president was instigating. Apparently, damashigamis are now required to fulfill three times their usual debt-ridden quota! I was angry, so I went hunting for that rotten man Sabato and my sister to give them a piece of my mind. Information came to me that the new damashigami headquarters were in the human world—I don't know why, probably because it gives them such easy access to human souls.. disgusting—at that restaurant we were just recently in front of—"_

" _So… then, that new company that's been building chains of restaurants…," Tsubasa interrupted, "it's a damashigami company?"_

 _Beside him, Sakura merely frowned, wanting the story to continue._

 _Ageha nodded, "Yes. When I arrived there, they wouldn't let me in. Their security had improved! You can't banish damashigamis so easily nowadays. But eventually I managed to sneak into the President's office on the top floor of that really tall building…_

" _And when I entered… the man I saw there was not Sabato… he was Rinne."_

* * *

"Remember the plan," Sakura reminded them shortly before they were steps from the door. "We can't risk any of the guards finding out our intentions to break into Rinne's office or we may never get a chance like this again."

"Got it," Ageha and Tsubasa nodded, earnest to finish this job once and for all.

They were all dressed in fine clothes, courtesy of Ageha and her multiple wardrobes and credit cards. She had taken the greatest pleasures in picking out a sharp black tuxedo for Tsubasa and a flowing blue dress for Sakura. Sakura's dress fell past her ankles and had a black ribbon wrapped around her waist tied into a big bow at the black. There were two long black straps to hold the dress up and Ageha had rearranged Sakura's brunette curls into an elegant knot at the back, while strands of hair hung down at the sides of her face. Winking, Ageha had put a necklace holding a paper rose around Sakura's neck.

"This should be a nice touch."

Sakura had blushed light pink. That necklace… brought back a lot of memories. She had almost forgotten about it and wondered how it had come into Ageha's possession. Ageha merely waved the topic away, saying that it was for Rinne to tell her later.

Now Ageha's dress was spunkier compared to Sakura's elegant and simple looking one. It was red, with sparkles all over, and it went three quarters down her thigh. The dress tied around Ageha's neck, with a red rose tied to the front as a knot. She also got red carnation bracelets for her hands and long high heeled boots. Her hair was as messy as usual with the usual bow on top.

Even Tsubasa's tux had light designs of crucifixes on the fabric. His tie was light green, because Ageha had insisted they needed to be colorful and festive looking. He preferred the traditional black, but who was he to argue with a scythe-wielding shinigami girl about colour? There were limbs that he preferred stayed attached to his body, thank you very much.

Together, they looked like a group of rich young heiresses and heirs about to enjoy dinner and a night out. This was precisely the image they needed to portray in order to gain access to the restaurant. Common knowledge was that the guards and receptionist of _The Red Wheel_ would not admit anyone who looked lie they could not afford even the water on the menu. The three of them couldn't help but smile a little when they heard the tidbit; it would be just like Rinne to enforce that sort of rule, damashigami president or not.

With Ageha at the front, for she knew how to emit the aura and personality of a rich young girl, they shuffled to the restaurant's entrance.

They heard a loud ruckus before they could near the doors.

"Hey you! Get away from here; this is no place for beggars. The boss has already expressed his displeasure about you loitering around our restaurant!" yelled a security guard towards, someone who was presumably, a beggar.

Off to the side, by the doors, was a curled up figure dressed in raggedy robes and who wore a childish looking scull mask, painted for the Western holiday of Halloween. In all honestly, the adult figure looked rather silly sitting there as a beggar, wearing that plastic child's mask. Surrounding him were several of the restaurant's security officials—again, most like hired damashigamis. With her returned sight, Sakura could see the little details that distinguished them from humans… the brightly coloured hair and eyes… the strange costumes and, occasionally, little wings.

Sakura wondered vaguely if security would kick him off the premises for trespassing. She felt a little bit of sympathy for the beggar, but wasn't going to help him.

But then the beggar turned in their direction, his skull mask shining in the sun, and shouted, "I'm with them!"

What in the world? Sakura thought to herself. Do we know him?

"Wait a second, what do you mean 'you're with us'—"Ageha was cut off as the beggar pleaded through the eye holes of the mask for the shinigami to lie for his sake. She frowned and pulled the beggar from the proximities of the securities guards to hiss to him in private, "What in the world are you spouting?"

"Please let me gain entrance with you! I have to get into that restaurant!" He shouted with conviction.

Tsubasa frowned, "Why should we trust you? How do we know you're not after our wallets…? You're standing awfully close to Ageha's purse, and _don't_ even try to reach in there!"

The beggar froze in the middle of the act and then put up his hands innocently, "I wasn't doing anything! Honest! I would never rob such a beautiful figure of perfection!"

At this Ageha blushed, for she had always been a girl easily won by compliments. The exorcist looked imploringly at Sakura for help, but she seemed relaxed about the whole affair, as usual. So, realizing that he was the only one who was bothering to be suspicious of this man, Tsubasa scowled. Very well, he was unwilling to be tricked by any means.

"We're not going to pay for your entrance," he said sternly. "Go find the money to do that yourself!"

The man gasped in overdramatically, putting a hand on his chest in a clearly fake swoon, "But I'm a very poor and needy beggar who needs the assistance of good and wonderfully handsome people like yourself!"

"Really?" Tsubasa blinked, feeling smug after the compliments. But he caught himself in time, shaking his head to utter, "No! You're not going to butter me up with your words! Now go away!"

He was really getting the urge to use his sacred ashes right about now.

" _Please_ , I need your help. I'm looking for someone. She's in there. _I know it_ ," the beggar's demeanor changed so much, that they could all hear the raw need in his voice—and the desperation.

It was Sakura who was moved the most. Her face became sympathetic, recognizing the same lost emotions in this person that were in herself.

"Tsubasa-kun, it's ok. He can sit with us. We can pretend that he got robbed by someone, or something," Sakura suggested. "It won't do us any harm."

Exasperated, the exorcist argued, "But Mamiya-san, he could be—"

"Oh, come off it! Don't you feel sorry for him!" Ageha interrupted, punching him lightly on the arm. Obviously she had bought the beggar's 'touching' story. "Let's go!"

As he was beginning to realize that he wouldn't be able to win this argument, Tsubasa sighed and muttered, "If we all get stabbed in the back by a fork or something, I will laugh at you all as we get on the wheel of reincarnation."

That was that. They walked into the restaurant's lobby, looking with awe at the oak trimmed walls with red and golden wallpaper. An elevator to the other floors stood beyond the receptionist's desk. There were lavish furnishings and chairs adorned with velvet. All of the attendants were well-versed and polite, wearing their monochrome uniforms with pride and dazzling smiles. Sakura and Tsubasa, unaccustomed to the world of the rich couldn't help but be slightly unnerved by how sparkling and shiny all of the floors and furniture were. Tsubasa could've sworn that there wasn't a single speck of dust in the air itself, but it would've been slightly exaggeratory.

Behind them, the beggar stayed quiet. As he was wearing his mask, much to the discontent of many of the restaurant's staff, they couldn't tell the expression on his face. Leading the way, Ageha was in her element, speaking orders off the top of her tongue without any hint of moderation.

"We'd like a table in the back please, for four. Bring some champagne for us and your finest appetizers. We will order in about twenty minutes, don't disturb us until then," Ageha strutted across the room with confidence, positively sparkling with joy. She reached into her purse and pulled out a wad of bills, flashing them in front of the suddenly greedy face of the waiter, "Here's a tip beforehand. Make sure our service is first-class, and I _guarantee_ that your reward will be doubled _at the least_."

With a final wink to finish off her act, the shinigami watched with satisfaction as the waiter took the bills eagerly, promising to give them their best service.

"Well, that's step one complete," Ageha smirked. "Nothing like money to guarantee someone's loyalty."

"…It's somewhat disturbing and extremely disgusting," Sakura pointed out bluntly. Why anyone would succumb to the wills of others over petty pieces of paper, Sakura would never understand. Money had never been a very valuable thing to her. Generally, Sakura accepted and moved along life like a calm and nourishing sea, riding on the waves. Then again, many mundane earthly desires made little sense to her.

She wondered what Rinne would say to all this, and realized that she could already picture him lecturing or moaning the loss of such large amounts of money. She wondered if money had been a factor to his disappearance, and if it would still be an issue now.

Then she cleared her thoughts of these doubts and nodded to Tsubasa, "I guess we should be seated now." She looked at the beggar, "You can sit with us, if you'd like, sir."

Tsubasa glared distrustfully at the beggar and followed Ageha and Sakura to the set-up table near the revolving doors where waiters walked in and out of the kitchens to the dining areas. Everywhere they looked, rich and glamorous groups and couples of people were busy speaking of business or other trivial things. They wore expensive jewelry, watches. Their clothes were custom designed from European countries. They flaunted their riches, parading around trying to shine light to others and blind them with their self-indulged glory.

Sakura pitied them, really.

The girls thanked Tsubasa for pulling out their chairs for them. The beggar sat ostentatiously by Ageha and began flirting with her. Tsubasa continued glaring at him.

When the revolving doors opened, several servers pushing out a cart with a mountain load of food—colossal cream cakes, roast beef, the most expensive sushi, puffer fish, steamed vegetables—emerged quickly.

It was not a coincidence when Tsubasa threw out his sacred ashes inconspicuously; causing the cart to spin out of control and food to fly all across the room and onto expensive suits and dresses.

The entire dining room seemed to blow up into chaos.

"My dress! It's ruined! I demand someone compensate for this!"

"GAH! This cost me more than four hundred thousand yen! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get this brand of fabric? Who's responsible for this?"

"Dear god, my hair! I spent at least five hours at the salon to get it done specifically for this meal with the CEO of my company, and now I look hideous! Meatballs are stuck in my curls!"

In the midst of the uproar, no one saw Sakura Mamiya slip into the lobby once more and then go to the elevator. Quietly, she entered. There were many buttons on the side, making Sakura worry that she might pick the wrong one. However, luck was on her side, when she saw that the top floor was carefully labeled 'President's Office.' Smiling gently, Sakura reached for it.

* * *

" _Where the hell are you, Sabato?" Ageha yelled, smashing the windows to pieces with her long and decorated scythe. Her hair blew past messily, creating a wild picture of the lone shinigami. The image of the infuriated girl was ruined by her pretty bows and skirt, but nevertheless, the fire in her eyes was very real with raw anger._

 _Documents littered the floor like snow. The neat kanji printed in ink were the black marks on a white slate, forever staining the surface. One signature on an IOU meant losing money. In this world, all that mattered was money and women. It was all that Sabato lived on, and Ageha was pleased to ruin and smash as many of his filing cabinets as possible. The safes would be next, she'd enjoy seeing the paper bills fall like tears from heaven on the carpet._

 _In her fury, she had not taken into account that she had actually jumped over the president's desk and was in the middle of the room. Slightly annoyed at herself for this, Ageha whipped around, recognizing the familiar outline of the red-haired damashigami. She swiped out her scythe, scowling again._

 _What in the world was that ingrate doing, just standing there? Had her entrance no effect? How dare he ignore her rage!_

 _She decided that physical force would be the necessary path to communicate her message and was about to hit the skull of the president hard with it when—_

— _the light in the room, wavering because of the moon now emerging from the sleepy clouds, glowed brighter and she saw the brightened silhouette of his face. His profile was too short to be that of Sabato's. His eyes were too large to be those of Sabato's. His nose, too smooth. His lips, too serious. And that expression on his face was far too bitter and wise._

 _Paralyzed with shock, Ageha dropped her scythe. The careless clutter that it caused went ignored by them both, papers flying around them. He stared at her, almost unrecognizable in his sharp black and white suit and very blank gaze—it scared her how emotionless he looked at that moment. Never before had those red eyes been so… empty and dark._

 _They threatened to swallow her up, and Ageha found herself wanting to leave, wanting to run. She just couldn't stay and stare at those eyes any longer. So red… so bleak… so dark…_

"… _Ageha-san," his monotonous voice said with no sign of recognition._

"… _Rinne-kun," she choked out, from instinct because he said her name, and as a defense mechanism, because it seemed as if the silence might eat her up._

 _Several seconds passed, when Ageha snapped and felt all of her rationality slip back._

" _What the hell are you doing here? Where's your father? Why are you in his office? Why are you…?" She couldn't ask anymore. She didn't want to know the answer… because it was so stifling and so obvious. Her heart pounded and Ageha went into another lapse of shock._

 _In all this time, he just looked emotionlessly at her. And in that moment, Ageha believed that if Grim Reapers actually existed, those of Western myth and legend that were similar to shinigamis, they would wear the same expression on their faces, as Rinne Rokudo did now._

 _It was awful._

 _Like staring at the full realization and cruelty of a burning hell, and a pointless, cruel death._

 _She swallowed back the bile which threatened to rise. "You… you took over your father's company didn't you?"_

 _He didn't need to nod to confirm it. She just knew it was true._

" _How could you? I thought you hated the damashigamis? I thought you wanted to protect the human, Sakura Mamiya? I thought you stood for better things than that—you do stand for better things than that! You always have! You've always been the better shinigami than me, so why..!"_

 _She felt something cold by her neck, and realized, that it was the blade of Rinne's scythe. She hadn't even seen him take it out. The sheer speed that he could use it, terrified her even more._

 _His cold eyes narrowed, "Don't speak to me of Sakura Mamiya…"_

 _The blade went away, and Rinne turned from her, facing the broken windows._

" _I took over the Damashigami Company because it's my responsibility to. All I need now in life is to make profit."_

 _There was a pause._

" _That is all."_

" _What?" Ageha snapped, glaring at his turned back. "That is_ not _all! You can't do this to me! I trusted you! I love—"_

"Don't say that. _"_

 _Those words were so filled with ice, that Ageha's heart broke, overflowing with tears. Her fists shook, and the fury shook in tune with them. At that moment, she screamed, moving her scythe to his body but then damashigamis burst through the doors behind her. They pulled her back and took her away, leaving her screaming hoarsely at Rinne, screaming at him._

" _I cared about you! I trusted you! I—"_

 _She choked on her next words, remembering the harsh reaction she had gotten, and then fought back tears. No. He wasn't worth it. Scum like him wasn't worth it. The damashigamis continued to take her away that she almost didn't hear Rinne's final parting words, recited in the coldness of the tundra…_

"… _I'm sorry, but you're not the person I want to hear those words from."_

 _With that, they took her away… and she let them._

* * *

 _The next day, Ageha received an envelope in the mail. It had no address on it. In her grudge, she did not open it for several months._

 _When she did, a small chain with a paper rose pendant fell out._

 _The note attached said—"When you see Sakura again, give this to her."_

 _She knew the writing._

* * *

The chaos in the dining room was perfect for another to slip away. The beggar slipped under the table, intent on crawling through the mass sea of scrambling feet and split dishes to the lobby, when a hand on his neck stopped him.

It was Ageha.

Panicked, the beggar tried to pull away, but she twisted his arm so that he couldn't. With force, she pried his mark off, revealing red hair and equally red eyes…

She smirked down at him, "You didn't think I was _really_ fooled by your act, did you? Sabato?"

Beside her, Tsubasa glowered down at him. "Now tell us what you did to Rinne. How did you convince him to take over your company and leave us all? You better tell us soon, because unlike me, Ageha-san is not a patient girl…"

* * *

As it neared the top floor, the elevator light made a ringing sound, pleasant to Sakura's ears. She filled her head with as many calming thoughts as possible, reminding herself to be like the calm sea, to be strong. She had to get this over with—find out the truth.

Her hand gripped the rose pendant firmly until the design imprinted in her thumb's skin, along with the memories which came with it. Her heart was the ricocheting storm over her frightened ocean. She breathed in another breath

 _It'll be ok. You are stronger than this. You need this._

(Yes. It was going to be ok because…)

The elevator door opened, and Sakura stepped out, listening to the clip her high heels made against the smooth marble floor. The office which greeted her was neat and tidy, stacked with documents and filing cabinets. The only personal touches were a small vase of paper roses, and a cat's basket in the corner. Other than that, it was rather… empty.

Someone was sitting over the desk, writing furiously through legal IOUs and more. He frowned lightly; pausing at a word, and then resumed writing, letting the ink soar permanently against the white. His red hair was as vibrant as she remembered, and she wondered if it was still as soft. She saw the signs of strain on his face, and continued to look at him, trying to memorize that face to make sure it wasn't a dream, to engrain it forever in her memory so that she would never live any moment in her life without appreciating it to the fullest again…

And she stepped in.

And he looked up.

And their eyes met.

The pen dropped to the floor. Red eyes widened slightly and papers shuffled, as he stood half-risen from his desk, his voice as soft as the rustling leaves of autumn, full of unnamed emotions.

"…Sakura…?"

"…Rinne-kun…" She found herself smiling, "it looks like you've grown a bit taller."

* * *

" _Now, do you see how corrupted Rinne has become? He's not the shinigami we know anymore, if he even is a shinigami anymore…" Ageha muttered bitterly; nails digging into the clay of her cup._

 _Tsubasa, at a loss for what to say, only sat there. He wanted badly to punch something, to deny it all… and yet the evidence was…_

" _No."_

 _They both looked up at her._

 _Sakura's green eyes were firm._

" _I don't believe that Rinne would've taken over the damashigami company without reason. I don't believe he would've left unless he thought it was to protect us…," she seemed distant as she said this, and then shook her head. "I'm going to meet him again. I'll get this sorted out. It's time we cleared up all of these misunderstandings. If Rinne is in trouble… I want to let him know that I'm still there."_

 _Ageha's eyes softened, "But Sakura-chan, he's—"_

"— _still the Rinne I fell in love with. And until I see otherwise, I'll believe in him."_

 _Both of them, shinigami and exorcist, really had no choice at that moment but to believe as well._

* * *

(Yes. It was going to be ok because…)

 _For the first time… she felt whole again._

 _She had seen Rinne._


	6. Part 6

" _What if your precious little Mamiya-san was in danger because of her pretty little eyes? Would you do anything to save her…? Rinne-kun?"_

* * *

Perhaps it was the fact that it had been years since they had last seen each other, or the slight differences in their appearances. Perhaps it was Sakura trying to preserve every inch of Rinne's older and more mature face in her mind. Perhaps it was Rinne, whose eyes seemed to go through every emotion possible, and yet they couldn't be named.

Perhaps that was why it felt like they were frozen in time and that eons had passed before either made the first move.

It was Rinne who broke the silence, his red gaze like a smoldering red hot sun as he said sharply, "What are you doing here?"

Those words had little effect on the calm radiating from Sakura Mamiya. From another viewpoint, it would seem strange that this girl, who had been put through so much, was being so relaxed. Her face revealed no frustrations or sadness, no accusations or anger. Yet when one delved into the oasis of Sakura Mamiya's thoughts, they would find nothing but a clear and beautiful understanding, nothing but a sure conviction that this was _right_ , seeing him again—that she was doing the correct thing.

This assuredness in her burned even more fiercely as she observed Rinne's disheveled appearance. Strands of his hair fluttered messily like stalks of hay; they brushed over his wide eyes which seemed to tremble from pure shock and… and something else. Sakura didn't know what to name it as of yet, but she had no doubt that she'd be able to decipher it soon. It was another thing she had missed, dissecting the small changes of expression on his face. At least that had not changed.

"I'm a guest here," Sakura answered as a matter-of-factly, never breaking her silent stare. "But I also came to see you."

Something seemed to flicker in those red depths. For a minute, Sakura thought he was going to move closer, say something from the slight parting of his lips. Oh—he looked so much older now, and yet so much the same it broke something inside her and yet rejuvenated her at the same time.

But then Rinne promptly looked away and slammed his books shut, the black tie of his suit swinging angrily. He dropped his pen into its proper container, reaching for the phone in the process and pressing the first button at the top. Once he held the receiver to his hand, he made his irritation known, "Yamamoto-san, there is an intruder in my office, please escort her out of the building—"

"Wait, Rinne-kun!" Sakura reached out, putting a hand on the receiver lightly in response, "I just want to talk. After that, if you still feel the same, I'll walk out of your life and never come back again, I swear."

"Sakura Mamiya—don't touch that!"

The sharp tone of his voice surprised her for some degree of frustration was in it, and maybe even slight hysteria. But it might have been Sakura reading too much into his words. Rinne ripped the phone receiver from her hands, almost afraid to touch her, as if she carried some sort of flesh-eating and highly infectious disease. He backed up against his chair, twitching in case she moved closer.

It would have been a lie if Sakura had said she didn't feel hurt. The pain ached in her chest, but Sakura ignored it. Compared to the monotony she had suffered over the past few years, this heartache she felt was a blessing. It reminded her that this meeting was real.

Sakura frowned at him, "What's wrong with you? Why don't you want to talk to me? I think I deserve an explanation for some of your harsh and uncalled for actions."

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Sakura Mamiya," he said harshly, his back facing her so she could not see his face. He put the receiver back against his ear, "Yamamoto-san, come up here _this instant_ —"

" _Rinne_!" Sakura didn't know if she had the right to touch him, but frankly she didn't care. She just needed him to listen to what she had to say, so she put her hand against his shoulder and tried to turn him around to face her. The fabric of her dress followed smoothly behind her, as the sound of her high heels did nothing to echo the heightened pulse she felt pumping her throat.

When he jerked his arm away, dropping the phone on the floor in an upsetting clatter, Sakura felt as if she was trying to hold the wind in her hands, only to realize it was impossible to physically do so. The wind would always slip away, migrating elsewhere. The wind never stayed.

He looked like a deer caught in headlights, unsure what to do when light illuminated him for what he truly was. And he refused to look at her.

"You're trespassing, Sakura Mamiya. Kindly leave my office," he said, his request sounding every bit forced and his fists clenched.

Anger came first—as it did always for anyone put into this situation. Yet for Sakura the anger quickly washed away with tides of sadness and old melancholy. She didn't know if she felt sad for herself or for him. This Rinne, she realized, was very different from the one she knew before.

"…Did you really despise me that much, Rinne-kun?" Her question was quiet and forlorn and she found that she could not stop staring at him, hoping that he would look up and _see_ , truly see how much she needed this.

But he didn't.

Sakura continued, "…Do you have any idea how it felt when you took away my sight? I had never felt so betrayed. I always wondered what I had done to upset you to deserve such a condemning fate. You left without a word and you did so without even telling your friends. You told me to trust you, and I did… but in the end, was that a lie too?

"Tell me, Rinne… don't I deserve to know why you did all of this?"

They stood like that, Sakura looking at him determinedly, and Rinne refusing to acknowledge her existence, just staring at the carpet. Only the clock on the wall, ticking away as the seconds went past, served as evidence that they were not frozen in time.

He moved to pick up his phone and Sakura frowned, about to say more.

His slow words interrupted whatever train of thought she had in her mind, a large roadblock.

"…I don't want to talk to you, Sakura Mamiya."

The damashigami president's fingers tightened around the phone and prepared to dial the number again when light fingers circled around his wrist, causing him to mistakably look up and lock eyes with hers once again.

Green eyes refused to let go of him until she received the truth.

"…Tell me why… Please."

* * *

 _The damashigami that had brought Rinne to the shinigami world bowed awkwardly and then disappeared through the spirit way, leaving father and son alone in a boarded up room. There were no windows, only a couple of small lamps to light up the four bamboo-clad walls. The room was no bigger than a small bedroom, and to be honest, its emptiness slightly unnerved Rinne. But Rinne knew better than to reveal that emotion to his old man. It was why he was so good at being expressionless, cool and collected. Years of dealing with his arrogant and unforgivable lowlife father had built up Rinne's walls._

 _Now, Rinne only allowed instances of slight anger to simmer at his smirking father._

 _Sabato sat, arms crossed, with that infuriating smirk of his. Rinne hated how he and his father looked so alike, and yet nothing alike at all. There were no subtle mockeries or conning smiles on Rinne's face, only cool calm and sometimes melancholy as he thought over his poverty and his grandfather's death. His father angered him in a way no one else did—especially when he just sat there happily as if he were the better man._

 _Rinne would never forgive men like him._

 _Sabato hummed lightly, patting the spot across from him, pretending to be oblivious from the aura of malice rolling off of his offspring._

" _Rinne-kun! Come, sit next to Papa! You've grown so tall lately—"_

 _Instantly, Rinne pulled out his scythe and whacked his father on the head hard. He frowned, scowling as he gritted between his teeth, "Just tell me what you're up to this time. I don't have all day."_

 _Amazingly, Sabato pouted, "Come now, son. You don't honestly think your papa would invite you over here to try and cheat more money out of you, do you?"_

" _Yes, I do," Rinne said bluntly, putting a damper on the damashigami's spirits._

 _Vaguely, Rinne wondered when he would be able to finish up this visit and return to Sakura Mamiya. She would be worried about him, but try not to speak of it. Sakura Mamiya didn't often speak of her feelings, just doing things straightforwardly, as if she let the great river of things take her to where it would. That particular aspect of her bothered Rinne, for he spent many hours of his life trying to figure out what she thought. There could be so many possibilities under that calm face of hers…_

" _Ow!" Rinne cried out and whacked his father in the head with his scythe again, "Why did you pinch me, old man?"_

" _Because Rinne-kun looks so adorable when he's pining over his human lover," Sabato lamented. Rinne could've sworn he saw flowers and sparkles in the background as Sabato spoke so dramatically—it was slightly disturbing._

 _Irritated, Rinne was about to tell his father that he and Sakura Mamiya were not lovers, when he remembered the lie that his grandmother had come up with to help him avoid all of the ravenous fangirls that had tried to marry him. He suppressed a mental shudder; that was an experience he did not wish to repeat again. But… Rinne didn't want to use Sakura Mamiya in such a false way, even if she seemed alright with the idea._

 _That was the problem._

 _Sakura Mamiya never_ ever _seemed bothered or irritated by anything. Sure, she had the occasional annoyance, but Rinne had never seen her truly angry or upset. If someone asked her to jump off a cliff to save their life, Rinne feared that she would do just that. How could any individual be so nonchalant about her own life? How could she be so unbothered that her classmate was using her as a way to avoid arranged marriage?_

 _("Rokudo-kun and I are just classmates.")_

 _His heart plummeted. No, Sakura Mamiya was just an extremely kind person who was too high above his social standing. He was unworthy of her, unworthy of even pretending to be dating her. She would never think anything more of him._

"… _She's… not exactly—"_

" _Oh, I get it! You're still two-timing her with that other little cutie, aren't you? Just like my boy!" Sabato nudged him in the stomach._

 _Another whack could be heard in the room._

 _Rinne silently fumed at his father, "I would never do that to Sakura Mamiya!"_

 _Again, his father pouted. How annoying._

" _What do you want, old man?" Rinne asked again._

" _Nothing, actually. I just wanted to talk to my son," Sabato said genuinely—at least, Rinne thought it could've been genuine._

 _He frowned, suspicious. "…Why now?"_

" _Well… you remember my desire for you to inherit the damashigami company, don't you? I've been thinking… that maybe…," his father looked away shyly, to Rinne's confusion, "You don't have to bear that burden on yourself… if you don't want to."_

 _For several moments, Rinne did not speak._

 _Then he said, "Who are you, and what have you done with my old man?"_

* * *

"How did you see through my disguise?" a disgruntled former damashigami president asked them.

They had tied him to the chair, with one of Tsubasa's exorcising wires. Ageha had strengthened them with a shinigami spell so that Sabato wouldn't be able to break free. Now the two of them circled around their prey like the inquisition, just waiting to viciously pick their question.

Tsubasa frowned, "…Not to disappoint you, but anyone could see through that get-up. Seriously? A Halloween mask from America? With a scull on it? It screams conspicuous and stupid—exactly what a damashigami would do. Now… answer us. What did you do to Rinne-kun?"

"I never did anything to him!" Their captive protested.

"Yes, you did!" Ageha drew the blade of her scythe to Sabato's chin, lifting it up with perfect loathing. "You forced him to take over your company!"

"I never _forced_ Rinne-kun to inherit the damashigami company!" Sabato whined at them, quite indignant. "He _wanted_ to do it." And as an afterthought, he added, "…I even tried to talk him out of his decision."

Both—shinigami and exorcist—stared at Sabato disbelieving. It was like trying to believe Pinocchio when his nose clearly grew longer, yet another Western fairy tale.

"You've wanted him to become president for so long and you expect us to believe that you had a change of heart at the last minute?"

"Yes, I did!" Sabato snapped, wiggling under his binds.

"Why?" Ageha took her turn, after Tsubasa.

"Because I realized something important… I realized that I _cared_."

* * *

" _I know you don't believe me presently, Rinne-kun," said his father, hands held high in quiet surrender, "but I've come to learn that I really am a gambling fool who is wasting his life away."_

" _No kidding," muttered Rinne._

 _Sabato ignored him and went on, "You aren't aware of this… but I sent another camcorder to watch your lover, Sakura Mamiya."_

" _You WHAT?" Rinne shouted, ready to attack his father right there for spying on his—_

" _Calm down, son. I didn't do anything voyeuristic. It was purely educational. I only watched your interactions with her… and how she interacted with you… and…," Sabato paused, "how you're living now."_

 _Rinne looked away. It was too late for his old man to start caring or whatever now. This was probably a trick._

" _It's not a trick, Rinne," Sabato said, as if reading his mind. "I've never seen anything so… pure… as the relationship between you and her. Rinne-kun… you love her."_

 _It felt like the walls were closing in on him, like everything would collapse and Rinne would fall into a floating black hole, doomed to sink in the blackness forever and ever. Dizziness overwhelmed him and Rinne felt his knees weaken as he fell over, as he was prone to do when matters involved his feelings for Sakura Mamiya. He could not find any voice to speak for several moments, as if everything of his soul had been stripped away._

" _No, I don't—she doesn't—I…," he could not speak._

 _He could not admit it. He didn't want to—not yet, not when he was so low, he was her headache, he was just a big problem… a fly on the wall, insignificant, nothing._

" _Then why do you wear that necklace?"_

 _The pendant, a paper rose, was cool against his neck, and Rinne grabbed it subconsciously._

" _Because she gave it to me."_

 _But they both heard the unspoken reason, the truth._

 _Sabato smiled, "You may not understand an old man's regrets… or his quest to find forgiveness. But I assure you, Rinne-kun, I won't ask you to inherit something you don't anymore. I will not add to your debt. I am hereby eliminating you as my co-signer for my own debts… and giving you back your life."_

 _In his shock, Rinne could barely feel it as Sabato pressed a box into his hands… and when Rinne looked at it, he nearly collapsed from shock._

" _It's your wedding ring, the one I took from you. Give it to that Sakura Mamiya girl some day… or use it to repay your remaining debts. Just do me one favour… be happy. And… I'm sorry."_

 _Rinne couldn't exactly hear his father's apology right then._

 _He was too busy trying not to cry._

* * *

"I can't," he answered, something breaking—maybe in both of them—as he said it.

Sakura frowned at him, "…You can't…? Or you won't?"

It wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone but Sakura when he seemed to flinch subtly at those words.

She stepped back, "What's wrong, Rinne-kun? Is there something you don't want me to know about this whole affair? Was there something you wanted to protect the rest of us from?"

"Leave," he repeated. "Sakura Mamiya… just… leave."

Still, he did not look at her.

She sighed… she had expected this. She knew this might happen—and it did. But it would not deter her.

"I'm not going anywhere until you have to listen to what I say. You don't want me to cause a scene. It might distract your valuable customers and they may spread rumours that your company as a tendency to attract stragglers and unwanted guests," Sakura said diplomatically. "I promise on my very soul that I will leave as soon as I tell you everything.

"You'll never have to see me again. I'll be out of your life. I just… need this release. You know you owe me for this, Rinne… You took away my sight. You betrayed my trust. You left. Now… I need the explanation," she watched as he opened his mouth to protest and then she continued on firmly, "and don't tell me 'it was for your own good' or anything like that. I'll decide that for myself. So please… just _listen_."

For a minute… she thought he might say no again, and then tell her to leave before he called his bodyguards.

But Rinne was always surprising her quietly.

He returned to his desk, and sat down on the chair. With the other hand, he gestured for Sakura to sit down in the chair across from him, all without once meeting her eye.

In relief, Sakura settled into the seat and looked at Rinne's face, saddening as she saw he still looked away from her.

A desk was all that separated them, yet it felt the distance was greater, perhaps universes away. Would she ever reach him again? Had she ever?

And did it matter now?

The girl frowned. This wasn't what she came here to do—doubting—she came here to tell Rinne her story. Why? Well, she didn't know… maybe because she felt like she had to. And she didn't feel like letting Rinne walk away from her without trying first.

So… she told her story.

She told him about how she got her sight, and the first ghosts she saw. She told him of her father, who had been her constant companion for a year, before he decided to pass on to the next life, with words of wisdom that would never leave her. She told him about her mother who had died a few months shortly after Rinne had taken her sight. How she hated Rinne in that moment for taking the last opportunity she had to talk to her mother as a ghost. She told him about the pointlessness and monotony of everyday that followed, how things became monochrome, like a still moving picture, because her sight had gone away.

She told him of the blessings and the joys that had come as her sight had returned. She told him how much it meant to her, how her sight had made her who she was today. She told him how she finally realized, just how important it was to her, which is why she didn't know if Rinne could understand how much she had wanted to hate him for taking something so precious from her. She told him about Tsubasa and Ageha, their pains intertwined with hers. And then she told him…

"…I missed you. I still miss you," Sakura said. "So, I guess when I started to look for you, it was so I could tell you this. I finally realized that I love you, Rinne. I've always loved you."

As those three—seemingly trivial words—slipped off her tongue, Sakura felt as if a world had been lifted off of her shoulders. She was free. She had told him, and now she could stop regretting.

From behind his desk, he was eerily quiet. He had not stirred during Sakura's entire narration and had shown no sign of attentiveness. In fact, he seemed like a rag doll, placed against a chair to play 'company.'

When he finally spoke, evening had come. Shadows from the window hid the features of his face, but Sakura could tell even in the darkness, he did not wish to look at her.

"…You came all this way… to tell me… that?"

"Yes," she said.

"Why?" The question cut through the air. "Why would you do something so… rash? So… pointless?"

"It's not pointless…," she told him quietly. "It's never pointless."

" _Don't look at me like that_ , Sakura Mamiya," came the response.

Confused, Sakura asked, "Like what?"

"…Like you love me. Like you'll forgive me. Don't look like that."

"But I do," she said bluntly, as if she were stating that the moon was the night's light as the sun was the day's, as if she were stating that fish could swim and birds could fly. Her confidence was unwavering.

She saw the outline of Rinne, against the darkness of the evening, stiffen.

Then—

"I think its time you left now."

Sakura nodded. So this was his answer then. There would never be any explanations for what he had done. It seemed that perhaps he really had grown tired of her all those years ago after all.

Well, at least she finally told him. At least she knew what it felt to be in love. At least, she had seen him again. She could smile again.

"Alright, Rinne-kun."

* * *

 _It was barely a month after the day when Sabato relieved Rinne of all responsibility of inheriting the damashigami company, when the damashigami president received another visit from his son._

" _Ah, Rinne-kun," Sabato greeted him happily. He had grown worried that his son would ignore him for the rest of his life after this. It was good to know that he was wrong. "How are you?"_

 _Upon looking closer at his son's appearance, Sabato's cheerful mood faltered._

 _Rinne was dressed in a black suit and he was accompanied by several damashigamis. His son's face was stern and bitter, almost grudgingly so. It seemed as though he had been forced to grow up against his will, forced to harden to the forces of nature and life itself._

 _This was not the Rinne he knew. Sabato felt as if he were addressing someone else entirely._

"… _Is there something you wanted to talk to me about…?" He hesitated slightly. "Oh! I know, you proposed to the human girl already and you wanted your Papa to be the first one to hear the good news!"_

 _Silently, Rinne stalked into his office and sat in the chair across from him. His face was like stone, smooth, blank._

" _I'm here about the company, father," he said formally. "I wish to inherit it."_

 _His eyes widened, "Wait… I'm sorry, what were you saying?"_

" _I want to inherit the company."_

 _Sabato was sincerely hoping this was some sort of enormous joke—but considering Rinne lacked a sense of humour, it probably wasn't._

" _I thought you were going to live the rest of your life in the human world… get a job and start saving up money for school… get to know that girl Sakura Mamiya…," Sabato said slowly, extremely confused. "I thought you hated anything to do with damashigamis."_

" _I do."_

" _Then, what's stopping you?" Sabato demanded. "This is counterproductive to everything you've ever fought for! Every thing you've ever stood for! Why now?"_

 _He remembered everything he had seen through the camcorder when he was spying on his son and Sakura Mamiya. He remembered seeing the gentle smiles on their faces when they successfully helped a spirit pass on. He remembered seeing how worried Rinne got every time Sakura was in danger from a rogue ghost, or that exorcist tried to coax her to love him. He remembered seeing how soft and subtle their affections for each other were—are—especially when they brushed hands, or held them. When they looked at each other._

 _It was pure trust, pure soft and gentle flames._

 _That was what convinced him that Rinne was better off without the damashigami company. That was what showed him what an awful father he was—how genuinely happy Rinne seemed with that girl._

 _And now… it was falling apart and he didn't know why._

 _Rinne looked at him, eyes blank. "You said you wanted me to be happy father… the only thing left for me now, is to make profit. I'll do that by inheriting the company and changing what damashigamis stand for. If you disagree, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to my lawyers." He gestured to the group of damashigamis he had brought with him._

" _Rinne… what's going on?"_

 _This couldn't be… This just didn't match Rinne's character. There was something more behind this…_

"… _What I should've done from the beginning."_

* * *

"Frequently I've tried to visit him and change his mind… but he always shuts the door in my face. I came back today to try and convince my ex-girlfriend to come back to me, and to convince Rinne to give me back the company… but I've had no luck," Sabato sighed.

Ageha hit him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for! I just spilled my life story to you! Boo hoo!" He cried.

"That's for trying to get my sister's affections back," Ageha simmered. "She doesn't deserve a lowlife like you!"

"I know… which is why I've been trying to change! I honestly care about her, why else would I come back here after so many rejections?"

"He's got a point…," Tsubasa said. "Most men don't do that. At least, he's devoted…. Or a stalker. I'm not sure which is which."

Her evil glares shut Tsubasa up. Clearly, when it came to her sister, nothing could be done to placate her.

"So…," Sabato spoke up when he assumed it was safe. "Why were you three here? Has the human Sakura Mamiya come to fight for her man?"

This time, both exorcist and shinigami pulled the sides of Sabato's face simultaneously, making him wail in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Tamako would be proud.

* * *

"You don't need to get anyone to escort me down. I'll go myself," she said. "It was nice to see you again, Rinne… even if the sentiment isn't returned. I really do love you. And I hope you don't forget it," she took off her necklace and placed it on the desk, "This… was never meant to be returned. It's yours to keep. It was never mine in the first place."

She didn't know if she was talking about the necklace… or her heart. Either way, they were always, and would always, be Rinne's.

She bowed her head, reaching out quietly to touch his cheek—wondering if this was asking for too much. Yet her body screamed she needed something to remember that this had happened, that this wasn't a dream. It was the least she could do.

As she moved closer, he was as still as a statue, the shadows hiding all expressions. Sakura let her elbow lean on the desk, her curls run past her neck as her blue dress flowed against her body. And just as she brushed her lips against his warm skin, gracing the top of his forehead, she felt a wetness trail down her cheek and fall onto Rinne's hand, which was curled up on his lap. A small gasp parted from his lips as the salty liquid touched him.

Sakura pulled away, smiling despite it.

"What do you know? I didn't think I'd cry," she joked lightly. "I guess I'm more shaken up from this than I realized."

He said nothing.

"Don't beat yourself up, Rinne-kun…" Sakura said quietly. "I don't blame you at all for what you can't return. I know you're only trying to protect me…"

For a second, she thought his eyes met hers again—desperately—in the dark. But Sakura couldn't tell with so many shadows. And from his form, it was clear that he wanted her out of the room as soon as possible.

She knew though. She knew what he thought.

So she relented to it.

"Thank you Rinne-kun… for everything. Thank you… for teaching me about—" _About love, about spirits, about trust, about friendship, about protection_ —"you. I'll never forget it."

Then she turned around.

And she didn't look back.

* * *

In his office, the sort-of shinigami threw his fists against the table in pain, yelling as he hit himself against it.

"Damn it! _**Why?**_ "

Tears slipped down, dancing with the black.

"…Sakura Mamiya… _**I'm sorry**_."

* * *

( _"What if your precious little Mamiya-san was in danger because of her pretty little eyes? Would you do anything to save her…? Rinne-kun?")_

She stood in the elevator, waiting for the numbers to move down to the ground floor. Ageha and Tsubasa would be worried if she took too long. She wanted to go home and watch a movie with them, maybe cry a little bit and eat some ice cream. Then they could reminisce in their memories and decide what to do tomorrow.

She was looking forward to trying out—what she perceived—as her second chance at life, her second sight.

The elevator stopped, everything seemed to freeze and Sakura fell against the wall. For some reason, there seemed to be a malfunction of some kind.

"…What…?" Sakura looked up warily and fumbled for the switch in the elevator that could be used to call for help.

"Hello there, Sakura-chan… I'm going to have to steal you away for a game."

Her eyes widened and she stood up, only to feel something hit her neck, sending her into unconsciousness—not before spotting the sight of bat like wings…

( _"Masato… If you hurt her… I will hunt you down, and you'll have more to worry about than just Hell.")_


	7. Part 7

_If it meant breaking her… If it meant that I would never see her again… If it meant that I would have to hurt her myself…_

 _I would do it._

* * *

Waiters rushed back and forth, attempting to cater to the needs of their upset and indignant customers. Many of these customers were rich benefactors and regular contributors to the restaurant's business and good name. If the staff of _The Red Wheel_ didn't work quickly they would lose a lot of good money and their reputation. Instantly they assured their guests that refunds and free meals would be in order, in an attempt to keep their good graces. The waiters didn't pay any mind to the suspicious trio standing by the lobby, just in the sight of the opening in the wall, suspiciously the only ones kept pristine from the spill of tarnished food.

Sitting dejectedly in one of the plush leather sofas, Sabato played with the hem of his sleeve and his plastic skull mask. He had insisted on following Ageha and Tsubasa, curious to see what would become of the meeting between Sakura and Rinne. Of course, after waiting for several minutes, he had gotten bored.

Leaning casually against the decorated wall, the exorcist lifted up one eye to spy upon Ageha, who was pacing impatiently back and forth, her hair flowing past her in a unruly black fire. The red of her dress only lit up that passionate frustration in her, and Tsubasa couldn't help but notice how admirable he found it. He found that such powerful and expressive emotions looked very good on Ageha. No, that wouldn't be how to best describe it... he would say that being expressive _suited_ the female shinigami, it made her look more... alive, beautiful, more Ageha. The exorcist smiled quietly to himself before realizing that he was staring rather intently at this girl, and turned his head away in less than a blink of an eye.

He wondered why he was thinking such things about Ageha of all people, when he had often seen her as a nuisance in the past (though he would always respect and acknowledge her skill with a scythe). This was no time to be admiring how attractive she was in that dress, looking angry. Right now they were waiting for their friend to emerge from the elevator... to tell them the news.

His heart clenched—he wasn't going to pursue Sakura Mamiya anymore, her friendship had become too valuable to him to do that. But he still couldn't get rid of the prickles of jealously which relished at dancing in his chest, taunting him. Part of him would always love and adore Sakura Mamiya; it was just that he realized it was more of a sisterly feeling. Even so, Tsubasa felt resentful of Rinne, who had caused so much trouble in her life. As her best friend, Tsubasa would not forgive Rinne until he was certain that his ex-rival had learned his lesson.

To the side, Ageha hissed again. "Where is she? Did Rinne do something to her? God, I wish this would hurry up so that we can finally get the answer!"

Despite himself, Tsubasa gave an involuntary smirk, "Don't worry. Sakura-chan can take care of herself. She'll be fine. Rinne wouldn't _dare_ hurt her."

At least, the old Rinne wouldn't have dared. Tsubasa had no idea what this new Rinne was capable of, but with any luck, he would soon find out.

"That's not good enough! I want to know _now!_ It's been over an hour, those guys over there," she pointed to the dining hall where the fiasco of food still had not been cleaned up, "are running around trying to bribe people while Sakura promised she would be back in thirty minutes! Does it look like thirty minutes to you? My senses screamed that something happened!"

He put a hand on her shoulder, moving from his spot against the wall before he even knew it. "Ageha-san," he quirked another grin at her, "she told us to trust her, right? She has faith. Maybe we should have some faith in her too."

Ageha didn't look convinced, "But..."

"Look, I'll admit that I'm really worried too. Actually, I'm feeling kind of envious that Rinne gets to have this chance with Sakura-chan that I never will," he confided in her, figuring that maybe Ageha was feeling the same way. "But this is _their_ time and we can't disturb them."

Her features softened, and her eyes seemed to have a slight shimmer to them. "...Alright. I'll wait..."

Tsubasa gripped her shoulder tightly, "We can always bust into his office twenty minutes from now, if Sakura-chan, still, doesn't show up."

She brightened considerably, never looking away from him. "Deal."

"Ahem!" Sabato interjected, pointing to the elevator, "Did you notice that the numbers on that panel are stuck at floor seven, instead of at the top floor, for the past fifteen minutes?"

Both exorcist and shinigami were startled out of their trance, now directing their full attention to the former damashigami president, watching him like two hawks intent on their prey.

"What? When did you see that?"

"Well," Sabato said sheepishly, pointing to the lit-up numbers, "the elevator lights were moving to the top floor and then going back down to the bottom when it just... stopped, at floor seven, for several minutes now. Do you think it could be that human girl?"

They whipped around, staring intently at the panel of glass covered numbers and the single light which lit up at the number seven. For several seconds they stared at it, as if trying to will the light to move to ground floor with their minds. But to their growing worry, the light remained stationary, a sole star in a lonely black sky—and a screaming red light that told them there was trouble.

Tsubasa felt his mood darken, as he muttered to both Sabato and Ageha, "Find the stairs... we're going to have a chat with Rinne to see what's taking Sakura-chan so long..."

No one even dared to mutter that it might just be elevator trouble.

* * *

 _Rinne felt as if he were walking in a dream or as if he were a spectator into someone else's life, someone who was also named Rinne Rokudo, and yet that person wasn't him._

 _But the feelings playing in his stomach told him this was real. This was all real, just as real as seeing Sakura Mamiya's dazzling smile directed to him every morning... just as real as his own hands. Sabato had taken Rinne's debts and gotten rid of Rinne as the co-signer. Rinne no longer had any legal obligation to become heir of the damashigami company. He was free, freer than he had ever felt in his life._

 _It had been a week since that day, and he had told no one, not even Sakura Mamiya. He knew it was foolish, but Rinne felt that if he moved to tell someone, the whole scenario might disappear in front of him. He was scared that he might wake up from this to find that it was a dream after all._

 _So Rinne bid his time. He thought about how he could save up his money to rent a room in an apartment, begin to save up to go to a collage. God, collage. He hadn't thought about his post secondary education in ages, believing it to be an impossible feat for someone of his social standing. Besides, he hadn't had time to study with all of his shinigami duties... but now, now he could try to apply for a scholarship, focus on getting a good career so that someday he could be a potential suitor for Sakura Mamiya as well, he would be able to support her financially as he never could before and_ —

 _He felt his cheeks heat up, as he felt the weight of the rose pendant under his shirt, against his skin. Sakura Mamiya's Valentine's Day gift remained very precious to him in a way that he couldn't hope to describe._

 _It meant 'hope' to him._

 _In fact, he had been hoping to tell Sakura about the situation with his father today, having finally gathered the courage. He had invited Sakura to come to the weather hutch after school to talk. He felt nervous just thinking about it, and tried to hide it under his emotionless mask._

Calm down, _he told himself_ , you have all the time in the world to tell her everything now.

 _But then Masato had to come._

* * *

The doors burst open with the force of a cannon blast, leaving the hinges to cower meekly in their hoarse squeaks and the glass quivering around the room. Before the current damashigami president could move, his pristine and frozen office was intruded by two furious guests, and one rather nonchalant one.

Ageha and Tsubasa's eyes grazed lightly across the lack of furniture—several filing cabinets, the desk and chair, the wastebasket and cat's basket—before zooming in on their target. The stoic red-haired damashigami president stared blankly at them. If he had been surprised by their sudden entrance, he made no sign of it, only hiding behind his emotionless mask. Nothing moved in the shadowed room, the threads of darkness and light from the window behind Rinne's desk crisscrossing as a chessboard—or maybe a jail cell.

Tensely, the three former friends stared at each other; a storm of angry indignation verses the stony face. Sabato, by the side, looked on as a spectator with interest. He also kept an eye out for his former secretary, hoping to catch her soon.

Tsubasa stared in hidden shock at what had become of his former rival. The black suit, the blank gaze and empty manner just didn't fit him! Sure, Rokudo had always been a dull stick in the mud, but he'd never been this… this zombie-like! How could his friend have subjected himself to such… such atrocity? This wasn't the Rinne he knew!

 _Well?_ Tsubasa thought furiously as the ticking silence and the truth were becoming too suffocating to bear, _say something, Rinne Rokudo! Say something about Sakura!_

"You're entering without permission. I'm sorry but I'll have to call security on you," the former shinigami said coolly, his red eyes looking through them as if they were mere air in his stifling office. With the air of a well-practiced business man, he walked towards the phone to dial a number.

He was pretending that he didn't know who they were. He was ignoring them, as if all of their adventures together had meant nothing, as if they had never happened. The lack of recognition stung more than any bullet, more than any stab wound, felt more horrible than any disease.

Something in Tsubasa snapped at the meanings behind this action.

"Where is she?" The exorcist snarled, his nails now digging holes into the cuffs of his fine suit. "Sakura-chan was just here, wasn't she?"

The phone dropped from Rokudo's hand against the table. Rokudo's figure tensed and the damashigami president turned around and pinned them with a sharp gaze, accusing in every way.

"She was supposed to be with you by now. It's been at least twenty minutes since she left. Did you check the restroom?"

"Of course we did," Ageha spat out at him. "She's not there!"

"Did she go home early?" came the next question quickly, making Tsubasa feel as if he were being fired with an onslaught of rapid baseballs, trying pointlessly to catch each one.

"She would've told us, or called on Tsubasa-kun's cell phone!"

The fact that Ageha was using his first name didn't bother Tsubasa at all… no, it did not…

Rokudo pushed away from his desk and stomped over to Ageha—almost furiously—eyes burning in an inferno of anger and panic. He grasped Ageha's shoulders, as if to shake her so as to channel his frustration into her being.

"Then _where is she?_ " Rokudo demanded, his voice—for the first time that Tsubasa had ever heard Rokudo speak around them—low and dangerous.

Ageha was rendered speechless for half of a second before she yanked her arms away from him and snarled, "That's what _we're_ asking _you_! What did you do to Sakura-chan?"

" _I didn't do anything that wasn't necessary, Ageha!_ "

Tsubasa frowned, fists tightening, "Necessary? You—"

"Excuse me," Sabato cut in rather diplomatically, "I'd hate to cut the dramatics… but I think I know where your little human has wandered off to… or rather, was snatched too…"

They all whirled around to his direction, responding like a group of angry hyenas, " _Where?_ "

Sabato's lips curved downwards as he pointed to an envelope taped to the window behind them. The envelope was addressed to the damashigami president, Rinne Rokudo. Curvy and sloppy kanji writing, purposely misspelled, told them who the sender was.

"Masato," the name hissed out from Rinne's lips like a deadly curse, and before Tsubasa knew it, Rinne was had pulled out his scythe and grabbed the letter.

* * *

" _Waiting for your girl, Rinne-kun?" The slippery and cunning voice drawled into the air, his words like snakes slithering around his ears._

 _With a frown, Rinne turned around, spotting the devil sitting on top of his weather hutch as if it were something to lounge lazily upon. As always, Masato sported a smug grin; his fangs were gleaming pearly white and his eyes like daggers. The devil's wings arched elegantly around him like a blanket of velvety black. It was one of the other physical clues which told any sighted person that he was of demon ancestry. If Rinne could choose one thing to dislike about the rather dim-witted devil, it would be his fashion sense. Masato thrilled in dressing in expensive garments to show off his wealth… and spurn Rinne's lack of it._

" _Masato," Rinne pulled on his haori of the underworld at the same time, so that less attention would be directed towards their conversation. "What are you up to this time?"_

" _Hmph," the devil crossed his arms in a condescending way, "how rude! Don't you know you're supposed to answer a question when someone asks you?"_

" _It's none of your business," Rinne told him. The last thing he wanted was to get Sakura Mamiya caught up in another one of Masato's plots. Up until now, Sakura Mamiya was never the intended victim, simply wrapped up in whatever schemes Masato had come up with. Rinne wanted it to stay that way._

 _Unfortunately, the devil was not going to stray from the subject. In fact, Masato's lips slid perfectly into a predatory grin. Around them, the birds seemed to stop chirping at the sight of it._

" _Oh! It seems as though I've hit a sore spot! Do you feel for that girl, Rinne-kun?" Masato asked coyly, delighting as Rinne's expressions became slowly angrier. "I wouldn't if I were you. You'll end up with a broken heart and a tragic love story."_

 _Rinne froze, and then pulled out his scythe, pointing it menacingly at Masato's face, "Whatever you're planning to do with Sakura Mamiya, stop it now."_

 _The devil was not deterred; instead, he seemed ecstatic by Rinne's response. To Rinne's annoyance, he flew up above him, purposely fluttering in Rinne's line of sight and before Rinne could fly up and hit him with his scythe, Masato called out._

 _"What if your precious little Mamiya-san was in danger because of her pretty little eyes? Would you do anything to save her…? Rinne-kun?"_

 _The sort-of shinigami tensed, temporarily confused. What was Masato talking about it? Why would being able to see ghosts put Sakura Mamiya in danger? Was Masato plotting something to do with her ability to speak with the dead?_

 _Angrily, Rinne flew up to meet Masato, the red, white and yellow of his robe fluttering behind him in the wind. The blade of his weapon glinted threateningly at the devil and Rinne said slowly, in a very low and dangerous tone._

" _Masato… If you hurt her… I will hunt you down, and you'll have more to worry about than just Hell."_

 _That Cheshire grin of his only widened, "I'm shaking in my shoes from fear… really, I am. But really, Rinne-kun, I'm insulted. What makes you think that I'd ever want to hurt your adorable little lady friend? I'm just giving you fair warning that… maybe your little Mamiya-san isn't as safe with you as you think."_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _Why… didn't your granny tell you? Hm, I guess it just wasn't brought up because it's so rare to have people who have been spirited away to the shinigami world still…_ living _."_

 _Rinne was beginning to feel cold—but with what? He didn't know._

" _You see, Rinne-kun… don't you think it's odd that so many spirits and deaths are situated in this particular neighborhood? Why aren't there as many spirits elsewhere? Why are so many at unrest? Why are so many spirits so much closer to becoming evil? You haven't run into many evil spirits yet… but it will happen soon as she becomes more powerful…"_

 _The cold became increasingly so in temperature, Rinne frowned. "Who?"_

" _Why, Mamiya-san, of course. Her affinity with spirits is growing stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if she ceases to be human in a few more years and becomes shinigami—if she lives."_

" _Why wouldn't she live?"_

 _Masato raised an eyebrow, "Put the puzzle pieces together, Rinne-kun. Her powers with spirits are increasing, the_ number of spirits _in the area is increasing, and the tendency to become evil is increasing in these spirits…"_

 _Increasing…? Ever since Rinne had met Sakura he found that spirits tended to run into his path rather than the other way around. A lot of student deaths in other schools happened frequently, as well as incidences in her school revolving around dark ghosts. It was almost as if she was a… She was a…_

 _In realization, Rinne's eyes widened as he involuntarily floated back weakly to the ground._

"… _Spirits are attracted to her. She's like a magnet for evil spirits… and that attraction only increases as time goes on. This is why those spirited away don't survive for long into adulthood… they're killed by evil spirits or worse. If Sakura Mamiya continues to have her sight… this will happen to her."_

 _And he would be able to do nothing to save her, for he doubted he could take on a hoard of evil spirits. Shinigamis were guides into the spirit realm, not soldiers. The level of dangerous spirits Sakura would be hunted by was too advanced for regular shinigami to handle on their own. They were the creatures of nightmares and Japanese folklore, appearances so twisted that they were no longer human. They were like youkai._

 _Dark chuckles surrounded him._

" _See? I knew you'd figure it out. But the question is… what are you willing to pay to save her?"_

* * *

 _ **Rinne-kun**_ , read the letter when Tsubasa had ripped it out of Rokudo's grip to read it himself. He had gotten very good at dodging the blows of his scythe while dictating the letter out loud for Ageha and Sabato to hear its contents as well. Nothing Rokudo could do would stop Tsubasa from reading it.

 _**It looks like you've disregarded our deal by letting your girl get her sight back. How disappointing. I had hoped to watch you writhe in agony under your paperwork some more. But alas, your friends have given her back the ability to** _ **see** _**so now our contract is void.** _

_**Did you really think you could protect her from the truth forever? Now she's mine. Your little playtime as damashigami president is all for naught.** _

_**Let's see if you can get her back before I throw her in hell. Maybe she'll enjoy being with me than she ever did with you.** _

_**You have two hours to find us.**_ How cliché and predictable, Tsubasa couldn't help but think.

 _ **Will you get her in time, little ex-shinigami? Or will you let her burn in debt hell? Your choice. Your curss—**_ Masato had misspelled 'curse' on purpose again— _ **my boss and I are looking forward to it.**_

 _**Masato.** _

The paper crumpled in Tsubasa's hand, now like a weak little dried up worm, when he finished the letter. Everyone in the room was tense.

Then without warning, Tsubasa grabbed Rinne by the collar and spat in his face, "What contract? What deal? What's this letter really about? Is this why Sakura Mamiya is currently in the clutches of that devil?"

Rinne did not speak; he was currently trying to get out of Tsubasa's steel grip. But the exorcist refused to move. He wanted answers and he wanted them _now_.

"Did you put Sakura Mamiya in danger?" Tsubasa yelled in Rinne's face, growing more chaotic as Rinne still said nothing. "Answer me!"

Still… nothing. Rinne glared at him and continued trying to get out his grip.

This time, it was Ageha who exploded.

"Don't you care about her? I thought we were your friends! I thought she was the girl you loved! I thought you were a good person! Are you going to go back to work now and pretend this didn't happen? Are you going to abandon her to rot in hell?"

"Of course not! I will _never_ abandon her!"

The ferocity of this reply made everyone freeze. Tsubasa's fingers let the cuff of Rinne's suit slip as a result and the three of them watched Rinne kneel weakly in front of them—defeated.

"I've always put Sakura Mamiya in danger, don't you see?" Rinne shouted at them, on his knees. "Everything I did… she was always thrown into it. It was better that I stopped talking to her, stopped being around her at all—then she could live a peaceful, _normal life…_ without me to ruin it."

He glared at them, challenging any of them to say something to counter that point when Tsubasa threw his fist down against one of Rinne's multiple filing cabinets.

"Bull—"Tsubasa swore loudly at him, "Was that your excuse? Was that what you were trying to protect her from? _Yourself_? Did you even _ask_ her if that was what she wanted? Did you even talk to her? That is the lamest excuse I've ever heard and I would beat the living daylights out of you if it wouldn't waste the valuable time we need to rescue Sakura-chan!"

For a minute, Rinne look mildly wounded, but he recovered his stormy expression. "Don't you get it? Humans who have been spirited away and gain the ability to see ghosts eventually become targeted by forsaken! Forsaken ghosts are the evil spirits who have descended so far into corruption that they couldn't be saved—they become monsters, beyond the jurisdiction of any average shinigami. Only high-class shinigami have any chance against Forsaken, and even they don't make it out alive all of the time.

"The longer Sakura Mamiya had the ability to see ghosts, the more her chances of being eaten by a Forsaken increased. Forsaken are attracted to those humans who gain the sight unnaturally. Sakura Mamiya wasn't _born_ with the ability to see like you were Jumonji; she only had it because she ate food from the otherworld when she was spirited away as a little girl. They're attracted to her. If I hadn't taken away her ability to _see_ she would've died sooner or later once she reached a certain age!" Rinne finished with a flourish, the pent-up explanations and emotions leaving him drained and emotionally upset. He put his head in his hands. "…And I wouldn't be able to protect her."

No one had anything to say.

* * *

" _So it's true then…," he sat back, defeated against a plush sofa, unable to feel any comfort from the softness of the furniture._

 _Scrolls and several ancient Shinigami scripts lay scattered on the smooth oak table of his grandmother's living room. He had come urgently to her home in order to access the library in her basement which contained all the procedures of putting spirits to rest, the best items to use against corrupted spirits, shinigami laws and most of all… information about Forsaken. Hearing of his plight, Tamako had gotten to work in trying to find all information possible on humans given the sight, as well as those that would hunt them._

 _What she found was an old record from several centuries ago which detailed everything about Forsaken. Their appearances were monstrous, ranging from ogre-like creatures to fanged humanoid things. Back in the feudal era and ancient times they often ran rampant but thanks to certain procedures by an order of shinigami, they were successful in putting most Forsaken in hibernation. However, when humans wander into the otherworld and eat the food there, they gain the power to_ see _and also, the scent that awakens and attracts Forsaken._

 _Most of the time, these humans are killed before they reach adulthood unless their sight is taken away by an official from the shinigami realm._

 _Rinne didn't know what to do._

" _We can't tell any of the higher-up shinigami about Sakura Mamiya… they'll demand a high price for the removal of her powers. Plus, with the length of time that she's had the sight, it'll be harder to take it away…," Tamako mused. "Besides, these cases were so rare that most shinigami forget about what can awake Forsaken. They assume any humans that can_ see _were born with that ability. If we bring it up, they may demand your debts and you might be put into another situation like that time with Kain. Even then, there's no guarantee that they'll help us. These potions needed to take away sight… they're very difficult to make, very rare and old. Even I didn't know about this until now."_

 _He scrunched up his arms against his haori, facing the ceiling as if it held all of the answers to his problems. It didn't. And he knew that he was wasting time._

"… _I know, Granny."_

 _For once, because of the given situation, she did not call him on that endearment. She merely sat next to her grand son and put an arm around him without saying a word. Rinne was grateful for that, because at the moment, he felt like the weakest man in the world. No, not even a man, just a useless little boy who couldn't even protect someone he cared about so deeply from a horrible death. If Sakura died from the Forsaken, it would be before her time. It would be an unjust death._

 _He couldn't think of a world without Sakura Mamiya's smile, without her to tag along his exorcisms and offer comfort to troubles spirits. He couldn't imagine his life without her little gifts that he knew were just ways of showing she cared, her laugh, the way she walked, how pretty her eyes were. He couldn't imagine himself without her._

 _He needed her to live._

" _I'll take Masato's deal. He can give me the potion if I give in to his terms," Rinne said slowly, robotically._

 _In the end, Masato had won._

" _What?" Tamako shouted, "No! You can't do this to yourself, Rinne-chan! Are you really willing to condemn yourself to a life you detest? Can you live without talking to her? Without living with her? Can you live a life where you have to take advantage of unjust death? That is the payment, Rinne."_

 _It seemed like several eternities passed by as he lay against his grandmother's arms, but in reality, it was just one little second, one agonizing second that would change his life forever._

"… _If it meant breaking her…," Rinne said slowly, "If it meant that I would never see her again… If it meant that I would have to hurt her myself_ just to keep her safe _from those who try to harm her…I would do it."_

* * *

"So what?" Tsubasa spoke out. "What if Sakura-chan didn't want you to make sacrifices for her? What if she wanted something else?"

Rinne's eyes flashed, "How would you know that? You have no idea the danger that—"

"Well you should've explained it to her! You should've given her a choice! I know you were trying to protect her, but you should've discussed it with us first. We all care about you and Sakura-chan, we wanted to be part of this decision too, consequences be damned," Ageha cut in, speaking the very words that Tsubasa couldn't have articulated better himself. "We're your friends."

They all glowered at each other.

"I'd ask you what you gave up… I'd ask you what Masato wanted… but we're wasting time. Besides, that's the sort of thing you should tell to Sakura-chan first when you see her," Ageha muttered at him, hiding her face.

Tsubasa nodded, "So, Rokudo… where do you think Masato took her?"

* * *

" _Promise me that you won't speak to her directly after this, Granny. Promise me that you'll leave her alone."_

 _Tamako stood motionlessly in the doorway, watching her grandson get up to leave, sadly. She was a lone figure in a kimono, the only figure he could trust now._

"… _Are you sure about this, Rinne? Won't you be lonely?"_

 _His expression did not change. "If it's to protect her, I'll do it."_

" _But don't you think she deserves a choice?" Tamako pressed on. "What if she doesn't want this?"_

 _Rinne bit his lip in frustration, remembering all of the instances when Sakura Mamiya disregarded her own life just to help him. He recalled all of the times when she ignored the dangers, just because she was with him. This girl couldn't judge her own safety. She wouldn't be able to judge what was good for her._

" _It doesn't matter… I'll do what's best for her."_

 _And he left._

 _By herself, Tamako looked on sadly in the distance. "It's miscommunication that will lead you down the wrong path, Rinne-chan. It will lead to regret."_

 _Her advice remained unheeded, because really, he would do anything to keep that girl safe._


	8. Part 8

_Do you remember all the times we had together, Rinne?_

* * *

It had been a long time since his master had called him for a job. In fact, Rokumon couldn't recall the last time that his master had even dropped by the otherworld for a simple visit or to see if Rokumon was still alive. The black cat had simply concluded that his master Rinne didn't care about his existence anymore. Since Rinne had expelled Rokumon from his services a few years ago, the half-shinigami cared about very little besides running his damashigami company in the human world.

To be honest, it hurt. As a black cat by contract, such business enterprises were meant to be binding symbols of partnership and loyalty. They represented the bond between shinigami and black cat, together in the sacred duty of guiding souls to their next life, to the wheel of reincarnation. But Rokumon had been rejected twice—by Tamako, because she didn't need him (using this also as an excuse to keep an eye on her grandson) and by Rinne, who had told Rokumon blankly that the cat would remind him of the past, of his mistakes.

Rinne Rokudo was an amazing shinigami. When it came to regrets however, the sort of shinigami would gladly rip them in half like sheets of paper, and then throw the remaining pieces behind him in the wind, letting them scatter across the globe never to be seen again. He was the type to move forward, never showing any despair or emotion. Tamako had confided in Rokumon many times that Rinne had always been that way, even as a child. It was difficult to put other emotions on his face. The boy was too serious, too blunt, too straightforward.

But Rokumon had been fond of his master all the same. The human world was a beautiful place to explore, where many adults were willing to give a cat free milk. Sure, Rokumon had observed the harsh instances of Rinne's life—no heat in the winter, no air condition in the summer, shortages of food, no warmth at night, no additional wardrobe, no money—but he had seen his master's rare smiles. He had seen his master's rare kindnesses. He had seen his master's friends. He had felt at home.

When Rinne destroyed their contract, Rokumon had felt betrayed. How could Rinne do this? They'd been through so much together, Rokumon had thought his performance was more than exceptional, he had thought that they were close.

Apparently not.

Luckily, Tamako seemed to show up at the most convenient time. She took Rokumon in and let him become her black cat again. Life was good—if you could call it that. Rokumon had shelter, food and water. Rokumon was successful in the otherworld, becoming a great black cat. But something was missing. The companionship of his master Rinne… his master's friends…

He never stopped missing them.

So when Tamako called out to him and opened the door, revealing the dishevelled figures of people he never thought he'd see again, she merely gave him a conspiratorial wink, "It's ok. You can go. You've always been Rinne-chan's black cat anyways… and one of their dearest friends."

Rokumon smiled gratefully at her and turned towards the group, too elated to feel angry or resentful for all the years that Rinne had ignored him. As he gave his former (no, he always was his) master a blinding grin, he watched as Rinne seemed to hesitate, something sad flickering in his depths. It then occurred to Rokumon that something serious had happened.

He then noticed that one of his favourite people—Sakura Mamiya—was not present.

The cat frowned, "Hey guys. What do you need me for? And where's Sakura Mamiya?"

Oddly enough, the others—Ageha, Tsubasa, not Sabato as he was busy humming a little ditty—glared at Rinne as he frowned in frustration. The tension in the air could not be cut by anything; it buried them all like quicksand.

"She's most likely in Hell… and that's why we need your help."

Then Rinne did something that Rokumon never thought he'd ever do. The sort-of shinigami got on his knees in front of Rokumon and bowed low in apology, hands wrenched against the porch as if he were dangling off of a cliff and eyes clenched shut in the realization that he was going to fall.

"Please, Rokumon. I know I haven't treated you as a master should in our contract. I know I tore it into pieces and _I'm sorry_. But Sakura Mamiya is in danger… and you're the only one who can help us find her," Rinne lifted his head then, blinding Rokumon with a burning sea of red tears, "Please help me save her."

* * *

" _We can't let the ghost get her!"_

 _Rinne felt the words rush out his mouth like the roar that would escape from an angry lion's breath. Feeling the smooth silk of his haori wrap around him protectively, Rinne rushed forward towards the ceiling where the vengeful spirit of a student named Yuri held one of their classmates Kanade Tachibana captive. He would not forgive unjust death; he would not let this spirit take the life of one of the living—_

 _It had been unexpected. At first, Rinne had not sensed this spirit, who had been apparently haunting the halls of this school for about a month before she finally realized she was truly dead and her memories of his life came rushing back. Once that had happened, Yuri had no qualms about becoming an evil spirit and hell bent on pursuing revenge against the living. Her first victims had been several students in the basketball team, attempted strangles and stabbings on all. There were many injuries ranging from heavy purple bruising to moderate stab wounds on the arms and legs._

 _This time, Yuri had grown more powerful and her hatred more poignant. She now had the power to hold a hostage… and kill them._

 _Earlier on, Sakura had felt a chill and told him about it. She felt that there was something disturbing walking the halls of their school, something that wanted blood. She had been feeling it all week, since the announced death of Yuri, a fourth year upperclassman. Rinne had not sensed anything, but decided to investigate anyways._

 _Perhaps he should've tried to investigate sooner._

 _Silvery locks flowed past the ghost's ear as her eyes flickered an insane tint of blood red, she giggled like a little girl, sadistic gleams dancing like snakes in her eyes, as she held Tachibana by a fistful of hair. Tachibana's normally quiet and shy face broke out into a sweaty and panicky fear. Her big eyes twitched fearfully as she stared down, watching her legs dangle below her as if they were not a part of her body. She whimpered quietly, desiring only to be out of the insane ghost's clutches._

 _Yuri had been quicker than Rinne in securing her hostage, she now watched Rinne fume in delight as she let Tachibana dangle by the hair._

 _Her smile widened into a mad look, like a deranged escapee of an asylum. "They took away my brothers and sisters, they made me watch them die… but no more. I will get my revenge on God. I will kill everyone else who is alive! I'll curse them!"_

 _She floated higher, ready to drop Tachibana's helpless form to the ground. Rinne tried to fly up after her, in order to catch Tachibana in case she would fall but he wasn't sure how powerful Yuri was now. Perhaps the ghost was powerful enough, so close to being a Forsaken that she would strangle Tachibana herself with her bare hands._

 _He couldn't let it happen. Rinne pulled out a scythe, mind racing with any possibility, any plan that might be able to save Tachibana's life—_

" _Say goodbye to the first student," Yuri taunted, her hair tied in a bow bouncing against her. The ghost, as Rinne feared and dreaded, lifted Tachibana up to curl her fingers around the fragile beating flesh of Tachibana's neck… She paused and seemed a bit lost as she did so, "What's that sweet smell…?"_

" _No!" Rinne cried out, moving forward, watching Tachibana splutter and pale from loss of air, Yuri cackling sadistically and becoming darker in aura, Rinne failing every second he was_ not there _and—_

" _Now, Rokumon!" Someone shouted loudly._

 _Rinne stilled in midair, half tempted to turn. He knew that voice, full of conviction and calm. It was—_

 _The fiery form of an enormous black cat's snarling head smashed against Yuri's form, causing the ghosts to scream and consequently let go of Tachibana's neck. Rinne's heart stopped beating as he saw someone jump from the back of the black cat's head and pull Tachibana towards them, away from Yuri's vicious hands. Tachibana screamed loudly, holding on to the person who had pulled them to safety, and then jumped towards Yuri, tackling her to the gymnasium floor and then landed in an audible thump._

 _That someone was Sakura Mamiya, braids flying and all. Rinne felt as if part of him had died right there, watching Sakura Mamiya take such a big risk to confront the evil spirit, all for him, all for Tachibana. He wanted to rush over and pull her away from the evil spirit's clutches and then hold her to make sure she was alright but as he drew closer, he noticed the tumble of bodies._

 _Yuri snarled and now had Sakura Mamiya in a stranglehold. Rinne would have very nearly taken his scythe to cut her head off (not that it would work, being a shinigami scythe that purified certain levels of spirits) had it not been for Sakura's soft whisper._

" _Stop it, Yuri-sempai. It's alright. Your brothers and sisters are at peace," she said, eying the ghost who had her hands around her neck like a tightening handcuff with calm. "You don't need to fight anymore."_

 _The ghost froze, some of her aura lightening before darkening once more into a storm. "What the hell do you know?" Suddenly it was her life story. "Don't you have any idea how I died, you stupid girl? My parents are rich, successful. They travel the world. They adored us. I was the eldest sister, the one who was supposed to protect them and I would've done anything to protect them but then robbers came. They wanted to know where the money was. But I didn't know. My parents never told me anything like that. The robbers got angry, there was a candle, and they knocked it over on some gun powder they carelessly split._

" _My brothers and sisters asked me if it was going to be alright… I told them to hide in the closet, not to worry about me, but they wouldn't leave. They just kept holding on to my hands, crying and crying… They wouldn't stop. Even when the flames got too close. They wanted me to lie… so I lied. I told them I would protect them. I told them that we were going to be ok. I told them I'd find a way out."_

 _The ghost glared down at Sakura, her gaze away from Rinne so that he could not see her expression. But it was obvious that the ghost's expression was probably beyond wretchedness, it was true despair._

" _It was a lie. I couldn't find a door. It was too smoky. I shoved them into a closet and told them not to come out. I went to try and put out the fire with a hose or a towel… but then, I guess the fire reached the garage where the gasoline was… and the house exploded. We all died in the fire. And I couldn't protect any of my siblings. They were good people. They never did anything wrong. They were so young. Innocent. So tell me, why did they have to die and not people like you? Why are you all still alive?_ Why did they die _?"_

 _Yuri put her head down in grief, and then regained her sadistic gleam in her eyes, "…Why should you live?"_

 _Rinne moved once more, ready to destroy this evil spirit who was on the precipice of madness and hell—_

 _But Sakura reached out to touch Yuri's cheek, "They didn't die, Yuri-sempai."_

 _Suddenly, it seemed like the world had frozen. Yuri dropped her arms and Rinne, surprised, looked at Sakura's serene face._

" _They're in the hospital… and…," Sakura smiled softly at her, "when I told them that you were haunting the school, they wanted me to tell you something."_

 _She probably didn't know it, but Yuri was stepping back—maybe in shock, maybe in some kind of reverence or fear of knowing the real answer. Whatever it was, the next words that Yuri spoke came out in a shaky voice, a thin thread reaching out towards the top of the mountain._

 _Sakura stood up quietly and smiled, "They said, 'it's ok, onee-chan. You've done enough. Let's play again together in the next life, where you'll always be our wonderful onee-chan.'"_

 _Tears escaped from the spirit as her eyes faded from blood red to green, and her dark aura became normal once more. She tried to stifle her sobs, but it held no effect. Despite the tears, nothing to mar the beautiful expression of acceptance and love on the ghost's face. Yuri wiped her cheeks with her sleeve and murmured._

" _They're really alive…? Did they really say that…?"_

" _Yes, they did."_

 _Yuri smiled gratefully at her, "Thank you."_

 _Her spectral form faded into a billion little starry lights, off to the wheel of reincarnation. By the side, Tachibana coughed from her close fate with death. She thanked Sakura Mamiya and Rinne many times before being escorted to the infirmary. She promised not to tell anyone about what she had seen, understanding that Rinne was most likely the shinigami that seemed to 'protect their school.' After that Tachibana had left, leaving Sakura Mamiya and Rinne alone in front of the infirmary._

 _Rinne couldn't help but look at her with open admiration, as she stood there so peacefully._

" _You're amazing, Sakura Mamiya," the words slipped out of him without meaning to. But he didn't regret them, they sounded natural. They sounded right._

 _She glanced at her in slight surprise, "…Hm? How so?"_

 _They'd been through this conversation before, and each time it was the same. Rinne elaborated once more, "Your natural ability to coax spirits to move on is remarkable. You would really make a wonderful shinigami." He said the last part more longingly than he'd meant to reveal, and felt some heat rush to his cheeks as a result._

 _As always, Sakura merely looked off into the distance. But this time, instead of just looking nonchalantly ahead, she had a small smile, "I think I'll pass again on that, Rokudo-kun. The ghost would've listened to you too. You're the best shinigami I know."_

 _Flushing slightly from the compliment, Rinne couldn't help but disagree with Sakura's statement._

 _The ghost could've chosen not to believe Sakura Mamiya, but Rinne knew better. There was just something honest about Sakura Mamiya, something that urged people to trust in her words, believe in their honesty. That was something Rinne had had to practice many times when he was younger and aspiring to be a shinigami like his grandmother (and unlike his father…). Sometimes spirits didn't listen to him, but to Sakura, they seemed compelled to do so._

" _Let's go, Rokudo-kun," Sakura said, tugging on his arm._

 _It was then that Rinne realized that he had taken Sakura Mamiya's hand into his own as he was in his thoughts. The idea made him shy, but he didn't relinquish his hand. He kept it there, because it felt nice, because he wanted it there, because Sakura Mamiya didn't seem to mind holding the hand of someone below her social status, because… because…_

 _Because maybe it was that moment, and maybe not, when he had realized that he was in love with her._

* * *

"During one of our trips to Hell, Masato led me to the deepest levels, where criminals scrub dishes and work for no pay eternally. I'd never been to Hell before at the time, so I never wondered if there was anything lower than that," Rinne informed them quickly, eyes furrowed as he leaned forward against the giant flaming cat's broad back. His gaze did not waver from the path in front of them, a plot of sky a head of them, with a blinding portal beginning to open.

Their companions, Rokumon noted as he flew them into the air, listened intently, scrutinizing Rinne as if he were to explode at any moment. They didn't entirely trust his former master and the cat couldn't berate them for that fact. He didn't know if he could fully believe in his former master either after all that Rinne had put him through—the loneliness, the abandonment.

But he wanted to try, if not for Sakura's life, then for the master he used to know, the master he hoped was still Rinne. They had yet to find out.

Cloths flapping in the wind violently, Ageha scowled. She and Tsubasa had changed quickly into their 'old' clothes—Tsubasa in his black exorcist garb and Ageha in her uniform.

"Alright… and what does that tell us? That Hell must be a really deep place?"

Like a strict teacher, Rinne glowered at her for interrupting, "The lower levels of Hell are only accessible by select individuals, usually devils of higher ranks. If my tabs kept on Masato are correct, he's actually become one of the most successful devils to date. He probably took…"

The whistling of the air roared in their ears to fill the gap of conversation as the sort-of shinigami trailed off, as if in pain. He lowered his head, letting red bangs cover his face from hard scrutiny, as if he were in a haze of grief after a loved one's funeral.

Uncomfortably, Rokumon moved faster, hoping that the friction caused between his body and the air would create enough noise to distract the others. Unfortunately, this only annoyed Ageha further as she told Rokumon to fly smoother for the sake of their remaining life spans. Tsubasa looked a bit green and only nodded in agreement with her, otherwise he might have said the same thing.

With no choice but to comply, Rokumon returned his flight to a smoother transition and felt shivers running through his black fur as the anticipated argument would start…

"You mean the human girl, right? Sakura-san?" Sabato decided to say helpfully, "This creepy bat guy took your lover there, right? It would make sense, seeing as no one else would have the jurisdiction to go down there except those of his status. Nice thinking, son! You're so smart."

As the father stretched out his hands for what was supposed to an affectionate hug, he was shot down as his son merely showed him the darkest face that Sabato ever had the misfortune to see. Sabato decided that he wouldn't speak up for a while, just to be safe from his son's demonic (Wait, not that word. It would insult his Rinne-kun. _Monstrous._ A much better word.) wrath.

Sensing murderous intent, Rokumon spoke up hastily, "So that's where I come in, isn't it? Since I have several key cards that can get us past the initial gates of Hell, and even more key cards to get to the lower bowels of Hell it'll be easy for us to just waltz in and get Sakura-sama out of there."

"Key cards?" Ageha leaned over his monitor-sized ear with a curious look, temporarily distracted from her previous irritation at Rinne.

"Where did you get them?" Tsubasa inquired.

"Oh well," Rokumon puffed up his furry chest with pride, "when you're a black cat for a full-time shinigami, sometimes there are missions where you save a random devil's butt and he just happens to repay the favour with _a lot_ of benefits."

"That's amazing, Rokumon!" Tsubasa gasped and the black cat purred because of the compliment. Considering that he and the exorcist had always been on slightly rocky terms, he could tell Tsubasa meant it. "Out of curiosity, who was the demon anyways? How'd you help them out?"

Rokumon grinned, flashing his sharp teeth (not that they could see, as they were sitting on his back), "Let's just say this guy was extremely stupid. I sort of forget his name… It was Jaken or something. He was in trouble with this guy named Sesshomaru for misplacing a human girl."

Despite the seriousness of their present situation, Ageha and Tsubasa surprised Rinne and Sabato by indulging in what must have been their first laughs in what seemed like eternity. Rinne tensed, as if he had forgotten how to act in a light atmosphere. And the black cat realized that after all those years of seclusion… perhaps he had.

A bit disturbed, the black cat covered up his sadness by happily saying, "Rinne-sama's been keeping very careful watch on demon activities from Hell." Rokumon grinned widely, trying to keep the mood as light as possible. He only hoped that his former master would use the opening that Rokumon gave him. "That's probably how he knew that I had these key cards."

To his relief, Tsubasa and Ageha only looked warily at each other before Tsubasa gave Rinne a begrudging smile. The sort-of shinigami and exorcist stared at each other, as if trying to figure out where each other stood on the thin line between rivals and friendship. Then, the impasse momentarily dissipated. Whatever Tsubasa had been thinking about as he had glared Rinne down, he had obviously pushed it back into his mind for the time being and was now relatively calmer compared to before.

"…So you do care about her," came the soft words from Tsubasa's lips as his gaze became as unreadable as Rinne's. The words were not shaped like a question, but as a statement of fact. For that reason, everyone felt slight tremors down their spines.

His former master Rinne, to his disappointment, did not answer. Instead, he focused on the image of Hell before them, making no inclination that he noticed Tsubasa's burning stare at the back of his neck.

"When we get in, we may need to split up in order to cover more ground. Ageha-san, give everyone one of your skull-shaped grenades. If anyone spots Sakura Mamiya, throw the grenade into the air, the explosion will lead us all back to you and we'll work together to free her from Masato's clutches," the sort-of shinigami ordered stoically, as if this were a business meeting between clients rather than a rescue mission. Only his eyes told otherwise. The pain in those eyes told them all they needed to know about the inner turmoil he felt. It was enough to make tougher men flinch into tears.

A bit unsettled, Rokumon spoke again, "So… once we see Masato, what do you think we should do? Surround him and throw stuff at him? Lock him in a cage? Curse him for all eternity?"

"Maybe we can decapitate him," Ageha put in happily, suddenly pulling out her scythe to polish vigorously. Sabato moved away nervously from her side to sit closer to his son. He did not feel safe around that girl when she became scythe-obsessed like that.

"Er… how about running away as fast as possible with my son's girl instead? Then we can head back to Earth and settle the rest of this mess," Sabato's suggestion was surprisingly logical, though a bit cowardly in the certain opinions of a fired up Ageha and Tsubasa. They decided to dismiss his comment. He pouted.

"This is about more than revenge." Everyone's heads whirled around to look at Rinne's head was turned towards the flashing signs and lights which advertised the hell they were in. "…I made her a promise… I promised I would protect her no matter what the cost. And I've failed."

* * *

 _When had she fallen for Rinne Rokudo? When had the feelings been so… so apparent?_

 _Sakura had spent much of her years in a dead and robotic depression. University had not appealed to her. She had excelled at her classes and gone on outings with her friends only because it was expected of her. But she could not bear to smile for herself when she was alone. She couldn't name the dead sinking feeling in her body which felt like heavy chains and lead weights which she constantly dragged around her feet from place to place. It was as if the weight always accumulated, getting heavier and heavier, making her sink deeper and deeper…_

 _There was no where to run until Sakura finally looked at herself—really looked at herself—in the mirror and saw clearly the dead spirit in those depths. She looked every bit like the Sakura Mamiya of two more years should look like. Only her face, she removed the happy mask, showed how devastatingly pathetic she had become._

 _She recoiled from the mirror then, and then pondered for a long time why she had sunk so low._

 _The answer came to her as quickly as a lone tree in the middle of a drenched field got struck by hot flashes of lightning when Tsubasa invited her to go canoeing down a river._

 _On that day, Sakura had agreed, though on the inside she felt a bit reluctant. It wasn't because she disliked spending time with Tsubasa; on the contrary she quite enjoyed her best friend's company, even if he did flirt a tad too much with her. The reluctance stemmed from Sakura's phobia of water. She could swim—her parents had made sure of that—but because of several childhood incidents, whenever Sakura became plunged into the depths of water, she would freeze up. None of her limbs would move. She wouldn't—couldn't—swim for whatever reason. Only irrational fear would fill her, freezing her like a slow and cancerous winter._

 _You could put her near spirits of all kinds of unspeakable darkness, but near bodies of water, Sakura Mamiya was hopeless. And she had never told a single soul save for one._

 _Hesitantly, Sakura agreed to come with him to the river, as long as he would row the boat for them and make sure they wore lifejackets._

 _Tsubasa was overjoyed to have her to himself. When she arrived the next day, he had fussed over her lifejacket, making sure it was buckled tight. She hadn't told him of her phobia, but Tsubasa could deduce from her request for precautions that his friend was wary of drowning. He wanted to make sure that it was not a possibility; this 'date' would be perfect! Once he was positive that Sakura Mamiya's lifejacket was in perfect condition, he led her to the boat, telling her that he would protect her and that it would be alright._

 _(Suddenly she remembered tanned hands, rather than pale, littered with paper cuts from having to fold so many paper roses holding her wrists. She remembered red orbs rather than black, staring at her worriedly, as if she were the world, telling her that he would be there to make sure she wouldn't fall off the boat and drown. Telling her that he would be with her.)_

 _Sakura blinked, momentarily confused, as she stood against the seats in the canoe. When had she gotten in? Was she really that engrossed in her memory? Her heart ached from the sudden attack of the flashback, and Sakura almost called Tsubasa by the wrong name as a result._

 _She almost called him 'Rinne' instead._

 _The realization made her gasp and lose footing._

 _The sound caused Tsubasa to turn around and his face scrunched into a look of complete shock as his 'date' fell backwards out of the safety of the canoe into the waiting depths of the water below. Tsubasa's hands stretched out and he let out a heart wrenching, "_ Sakura…! _"_

 _As she fell, she was barely aware, heart looping in fear. She fell into another memory._

 _(They were in the shinigami world. He was chasing a spirit once more and Sakura had followed him. Rokumon hadn't come. They came to a large river, filled with blackened bubbly liquid which seemed to be boiling at hot temperature. Sculls and bones floated within it. Rinne scrunched up his face warily, explaining to her that no one could fly above this particular river without dying of a curse. It was called the River Styx, a reference to Greek mythology. The only way to cross and meet the evil spirits on the other side was to sail across._

" _Sakura Mamiya, don't come. There might be Forsaken on the other side. In fact, if it weren't for the spirit, I wouldn't dare attempt this crossing. No shinigami is mad enough to venture to the other side of the river… its worse than Hell," he had told her warily. "At least Hell had rules and regulations—reason. The_ things _on the other side… they don't live with reason. It's unimaginable horror there, all of the personifications of mankind's inner evil. If I don't catch that spirit before he reaches the other side of the river… his soul is lost, done for."_

 _She had no clue what he was talking about, or what a Forsaken could be. She recalled something her father (as a spirit) had said once about these Forsaken… It was no matter, she would remember it later. Right now there was one thing she worried about, one fact… that it was dangerous to cross this river. Something tugged at her heart when she thought of the chance that Rinne could be putting himself in danger. She couldn't let that happen. Ever._

 _Even if she had to sail across a body of water, she would do it._

" _I'm coming with you," when he opened his mouth to argue otherwise, Sakura shook her head. "I can't leave you when you're in danger. You_ know _that. So let's go."_

 _When it was clear that she would leave no room for argument, Rinne frowned. "I can't let you cross with me. It's too dangerous."_

" _Well, I can't let you cross alone and I won't let you leave until you let me come. So there's our problem," Sakura retaliated, hands on her hips._

 _They stared at each other hard, their differences in opinion clashing together, creating some kind of rift between them, or some kind of tremor before a massive earthquake. Their faces were cleared of all obvious emotion, only their eyes told a different story._

 _Rinne stepped forward, about to open his mouth, when something emerged from the waters behind him. Something grotesque in form, like a mixture of bile and skeletal structure mixed together into a shape not quite human but not quite animal. The blob of rotting earth crept just inches from Rinne's back, casting thick shadows on his form._

 _But he hadn't noticed it yet; she did, though._

" _Watch out!"_

 _The sort-of shinigami had no time to think or question before Sakura launched herself against his body, pushing him out of the way before the murky creature to devour him into its body. Rinne landed against the scratchy reeds with a thump, feeling his bones rattle from impact. He gasped for air, heart thumping against his chest before he realized that Sakura Mamiya was not with him._

 _He looked towards the strange creature—was it Forsaken? Was it something else? Had it_ killed _(no!) Sakura Mamiya?—which seemed to be groping around on the ground, like a fish on dry land, trying to breathe, trying to 'live.' That is, if it could live at all._

 _Where was she?_

 _Distant splashes and a fearful cry turned his attention to the River Styx, where only a pale hand struggled to the surface, and then one face. Without warning, the hand and face went under the murky depths as well._

" _Sakura Mamiya!" Rinne cried out, running to the canoe desperately, hoping that he wouldn't be too late. The River Styx, named after a Hellish river in Hades, matched its reputation. Those that fell in the river would become easy prey to whatever inhabited its depths. He didn't dare to think of what did._

" _Hold on!" He yelled again, pushing the craft into the waters then jumping into the canoe with his paddle. "I'm coming to get you. Just stay afloat—"_

 _For as long as possible, he finished in his thoughts._

 _Don't worry, he tried to reassure himself. Sakura Mamiya will be fine. He thought of her calm face in the midst of any perilous situation. He thought of how unfazed she was by paranormal phenomena. He thought of how her constant presence was a soothing balm on every exorcism he performed. He thought of how she never ever seemed afraid, of him, of ghosts… of_ his _world._

 _She wouldn't be afraid. She would be ok._

 _Her head bobbed up to the surface after several heart stopping seconds and what he saw in her eyes made him freeze._

 _Fear. Pure fear._

 _Frantically, her eyes sought him out. Sakura Mamiya cried out, "I can't swim! I can't—"_

 _The waves engulfed her once more._

 _Rinne didn't think. Rinne didn't breathe. He just jumped and swam after her._

 _Their hands touched, almost hesitantly, before Rinne's tanned hand circled firmly around hers, promising silently, never to let go.)_

 _Tsubasa's hand felt cold and clammy from the water. He pulled her into the boat as gently as possible, as if afraid that she would break if he didn't hold her delicately. "Are you alright, Mamiya-san? Can you breathe? I'm so sorry, if I hadn't… If you… I'm so sorry—"_

" _It's fine."_

" _No! But—"_

" _It's fine," she said firmly again. "I'm alright. I'm fine… I…"_

 _(They were on the canoe again, Rinne and her. His fingers refused to move from around her wrist, so tight that they could bruise. And yet they didn't, as if he knew her limits, knew what it would take to hurt her. His haori was wrapped around her shivering form, a blanket to remedy the chills._

 _But it didn't remedy the trauma which returned to her. Sakura couldn't get rid of the suffocating feeling of the water around her, the loss which entered her mind when she realized that she wouldn't—couldn't—take in any more oxygen. Only water. The constriction, as if she were being squished and confined by all sides into a small space, shrinking smaller and smaller until she threatened to explode._

 _This was drowning. This was her fear. This was what she could never fight against._

 _Something warm caressed her face gently, stoking her skin reverently. A different kind of heat shivered through her very core as she looked up and met Rinne's intense gaze. The emotions swimming in them were unlike anything she had ever seen before and she found that she wanted to see them every day for the rest of her life._

 _What was this feeling?_

" _I almost let you drown."_

 _Sakura's eyes widened when she saw how forlorn he looked. She shook his head, "It wasn't your fault. I was just trying to help you. I should've told you that I…," she paused, uncertain before speaking again, "…can't swim—that bad memories come from it."_

 _His hand tightened around her wrist and the other one wouldn't move from her cheek._

" _What bad memories? Tell me," Rinne urged her in an uncharacteristic firmness. Or maybe it was in his character, she had just never noticed it, just as she had never noticed how warm he was, or how beautiful that red was…_

 _She almost didn't speak, but found that she just couldn't deny him what he wanted. So Sakura sighed, "…When I first began to see spirits, I couldn't tell the difference between living and the dead. No one was there to explain to me that what I saw… were deceased beings, people no one else could see. So when I saw a ghost on the playground, my first spirit I believe, I asked all of my classmates who it was. They couldn't see the ghost, so they thought I was playing a joke on them, that I was lying. My family had just moved to this town, so we didn't know anyone very well. They didn't know us very well. Rumours began, about how I was creepy and told lies. Eventually, some boys in my class thought it would funny if they tried to drown me into a river… they almost succeeded but a teacher stopped them. My family moved away right after that incident. Since then, if I fall into water, if someone pushes me or I fall in… I freeze up again, and I forget how to swim. My parents made sure that I got swimming lessons,_ I can swim. _But whenever I fall in water, without warning… I just… I just freeze. And then it's over."_

 _No one spoke. Only the trickle of the river and creaking of the canoe kept rhythm with their shallow breaths. Sakura couldn't tell what Rinne was thinking, nor did she want to._

 _Instead she looked off into the distance, shrugging off Rinne's hand. The loss she felt from the absence of warmth bothered her slightly, but she pushed it away. This feeling could wait another time._

"… _You probably think I'm foolish," Sakura murmured with a small smile and with lack of anything else to say._

" _No!" Rinne's reply put her off guard. And before she knew it, he had put his hands firmly on her shoulders, forcing her to stare at him face to face. "Sakura Mamiya, I've told you before and again—you're amazingly brave. You're amazing in every way. Those boys from back then… they're trash, those who tried to place an unjust death upon you. They can't be forgiven. I swear, I'll protect you from anyone who wants to do you harm. You won't drown, because I'll be there to make sure you don't fall. I promise you, I'll do_ anything _to protect you because—"_

 _Rinne paused, finally noticing what he was saying, and then turned as red as the colour of his hair. He turned his head away quickly and murmured, "…Anyways… it's a promise."_

 _Sakura was left speechless and deeply touched. The feeling she had felt earlier had intensified a hundredfold and seemed to be growing by the minute, something beautiful and blooming, wanting to erupt in any way, shape or form. She suddenly had the urge to move forward and brush her fingers against the locks of Rinne's pretty red hair, tilting her head so that her lips would meet his and—_

 _Before she knew it, she had kissed Rinne gently on the cheek, revering in the softness of his skin.)_

"… _I still remember that day… We didn't talk about it from then on, but I still remember it. It happened. I know it," Sakura murmured to herself._

" _Hm?" Tsubasa asked her, very confused._

"… _He obviously forgot about it…," Sakura continued, as if her friend hadn't spoken, "otherwise he wouldn't have left. And I wouldn't have… I wouldn't have…"_

 _Her eyes widened and it was at this moment, at this memory, that she truly realized—_

I wouldn't have fallen for him.

* * *

Guards patrolled the most secure levels of Hell twenty four hours a day. They flocked around every entrance, making their rounds every fifteen minutes. Not only were there guards but there were also security cameras and a variety of curses and traps which would activate if an intruder dared to come into the deeper reaches of hell.

Of course, these curses and traps were rendered useless if said-intruder had a key card.

The large and buff demon security guard marched past the entrance to the infamous devil Masato's flat. He was one of the top-paid and best demon bodyguards Hell had to offer. His face was red, with sharp horns and face like a ferocious dragon. Not to mention that his fists were covered in spikes which were rumoured to be spiked with poison. No intruder got past him.

Until now.

The bodyguard's heavy footsteps echoed through the glass hallway, confirming that he was the only one that was present. He was always paranoid for incoming attacks. Today was particularly racking because his boss had told him to expect several intruders sometime today. It was night now and there had been no sign of the foretold 'guests.' Ryuu was a patient demon though; he knew that his prey would come in time. All he had to do was to wait for them to come lurking.

What he didn't expect was for them to attack without any warning from the security systems.

"Sacred ashes!" Someone cried out from down the hall, throwing something to the floor which exploded into incense-smelling smoke.

Ryuu coughed viciously, covering up his mouth with his left arm. He hated incense, it made it difficult to breathe, and now he could barely see two inches in front of him. Darn it, he wasn't going to let these upstarts get past him. His eyes glowed red, allowing him to see through the fog and hopefully grab the insolent whelp by his skinny neck to choke him alive.

But he was too late, as a feminine figure was already high in the air, a ribbon covered scythe in hand. With a resounding cry the girl—who had to be a shinigami from her choice of weapon—brought the blade down towards his shoulder. Ryuu moved quickly to the side, allowing the scythe to cut the marble floor and the girl to land shortly behind it, before he moved his arms and latched onto the top of the scythe's handle.

With a sneer, he shook the girl off. She tried to hold on valiantly, but was no match for his demonic strength. Her hands slipped and she flew into the air, smashing against the wall.

"Heh. Is this the best that you can do, shinigami? My boss promised me a good fight!" Ryuu sneered.

"Ageha!" A human clad in black rushed over to her. The smoke from earlier had cleared quite a bit. He glared at him, "How dare you? I'll make you pay!"

"Oh? And what can a human like you do?"

Surprisingly, the human smirked, "Nothing… yet. Now, Sabato!"

"What…?" Ryuu could barely move as suddenly two red-headed shinigami grabbed him from each side. The older shinigami smiled cheekily at him while the other one looked at him stonily. "Let go of me! I am an esteemed demon from hell! You can't defeat me!"

He was going to use his strength to punch them away, but suddenly he felt nothing but weakness. It was as if his strength had been zapped away or sucked dry. When Ryuu was about to open his mouth to ask what they had done to him, a black cat hopped up on his shoulder, holding a very sharp needle—already used.

The cat laughed, "We just drugged you with some… special medicine, courtesy of Tamako-sama. Now you can't move. Ha!"

"That makes no difference! There are more guards. I'll sound the alarm and they'll come for you."

"Well, we can weaken you, gag you and then tie you up," the older red-headed shinigami said. "Rinne-kun, do you want to do the honours?"

The one called Rinne merely looked at him, "Where is Sakura Mamiya? Where is Masato hiding her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Well, that was a lie. Ryuu had been introduced to his boss's prisoner several hours ago. She had been unconscious at the time and his boss seemed very pleased with himself. His boss hadn't said much about where she would be held, but he did mention something about the guest room.

Rinne frowned at him impassively. "Tsubasa, would you please use your wires to tie up him."

"With pleasure," Tsubasa smirked darkly. He was the human who had been angered when Ryuu had hurt the shinigami girl Ageha. Though demons usually had little to fear from humans, Ryuu couldn't help the shiver of fright which came as the exorcist loomed over him with sharp looking wire.

Let it never be said that wire couldn't hurt. It did hurt, a lot, especially when it was cut into your skin so that you bled and it seemed to teem with a holy power which burned into demon flesh. Tsubasa was a brutal exorcist when tried.

Ryuu never had a chance.

* * *

"So, Sakura Mamiya is in the guest room," Rinne said quietly. He was relieved it wasn't in some dirty dungeon or a pit of fire. Then again, this was Masato. The guy wasn't that creative. Still, it wouldn't stop Rinne from beating the devil to a pulp once he found him.

"It's located on the far right side of the boss's flat. Just don't hurt me any more! Please!" The body guard, whatever his name was, had been reduced to a flesh bag of whiny tears. He was no good to them now that he had told them all that he knew.

"This is way too easy. Why is it so easy?" Tsubasa wondered. "I was kind of expecting more of a difficult break-in. Do you think Masato has more planned?"

"This is Masato. He's an idiot, remember?" Rokumon chipped in helpfully.

"…He's not that much of an idiot… not anymore," Rinne said quietly.

They remembered Rinne's story about Forsaken… and the mysterious deal that he had made with the devil to keep Sakura safe from her sight. Not wanting to start another argument at this time or to open the wound anymore than necessary, Sabato (for once, being a voice of reason) cheerfully asked, "How are we going to get into his flat? We don't have a key card for that."

"Oh that's easy."

They turned around to face Ageha, who had finally woken up. She brushed the dirt off her skirt and flicked her hair back with a flourish. "We use my grenades."

"…The skull shaped ones?" Tsubasa interjected when no one else spoke (maybe it was because they realized they had been asking a rather obvious question and were feeling a bit less than intelligent).

"Yup!"

"…The ones with ribbons on them…?" Tsubasa added again dryly.

"Yup!"

Ageha paused, and then she narrowed her eyes at him, "What? Do you have a problem with my choice of decoration?"

As Tsubasa looked at her menacingly aura and the sharp scythe she held in her hand, he shook his head quickly, "Uh, no, of course not! Let's use those ribbon grenade things! Yeah!"

"Thought so," Ageha smiled smugly.

"Let's go," Rinne muttered, impatient.

"Alright, alright…," she stood in front of Masato's door. Then she tossed her skull grenades up in the air and hurtled them into the polished wooden frame. The explosion which happened half a second afterwards blew a large hole where the door had been, and allowed them entrance into the flat.

Unfortunately, the explosion also triggered an alarm, a very loud alarm.

"Uh oh… looks like the other bodyguards are coming this way…," Sabato warned them. "You better hurry and get your friend! I'll stay here and handle the guards that come this way."

Rinne looked imploringly at this father for a moment, before nodding. "Right. Rokumon, you stay and help my old man. Ageha, Tsubasa—"

"Don't even say it," Ageha warned him menacingly.

"We're coming with you," Tsubasa finished for her.

Too exasperated to argue, Rinne merely ran in ahead of them. They had a devil to catch after all, and Rinne had many things to tie up.

* * *

 _Sakura Mamiya… wait for me!_

 _A sunny day. Lazily lying on the grass. Just staring at clouds._

" _Do you remember all the times we had together, Rinne?" She smiled at him. "They were fun. I hope we continue to have happy memories like this."_

 _His gaze never left her smile, and he couldn't help thinking the same._

" _I hope you continue to be happy too."_


	9. Part 9

_The thing is… a successful devil must be ruthless. He must be cunning. He must be clever and he must show no mercy. He must have a heart dipped only in black with nothing but sin at its core._

 _A successful devil must be the epitome of human darkness, the true extent of human evil._

* * *

"Could you stop staring at me?" the devil seethed, irritated by the intense ache that formed every time that human girl's calm eyes locked onto the back of his neck.

His home was well furnished and clean with a high ceiling. It was a mixture of Victorian era and modern architecture. While chandeliers lit the intimidating high walls, it was plush leather sofas and glass tables which inhabited the guest room. Occasionally there was another Victorian touch as a suit of armour or a shield of arms hung on the walls as decoration or trophies. In another room kept locked behind a handsomely carved door—engraved with designs of skulls and dragons—were prizes and treasures that his father, and generations before him, had stolen from various mortals over the century.

The colour scheme was monochrome, quite typical of a highly successful devil such as him. He took pride in how professional and classy he looked in anything black. It was a colour much suited for those with black hearts, and he hated it when do-gooders such as his enemy Rinne clothed themselves in it. They were unworthy of such a colour and it ruined the meaning.

Currently, said devil was sitting in front of his wide screen computer, turning around in his chair to scowl darkly at his hostage. For the purpose of his plans, he had decided to watch her himself. It wouldn't do to miss all the fun that Rinne and his minions would cause. At the moment, he should have been planning the next step of his game… but one girl's infuriating staring wouldn't allow him to do so. He scowled again.

She stared more.

His white teeth glinted dangerously at her, creating a scene akin to that from "Little Red Riding Hood" where he was the big bad wolf and she was the girl.

But the human girl looked at him with no fear, only a disturbing calm, as if she were the one keeping him in a cage and dissecting him from head to toe with her thoughts alone.

It was unnerving to have such a gaze directed at him, and Masato wanted it to stop, though he had no idea why it should bother him so.

"Excuse me?" he repeated again, allowing the threat to show in his tone. "I believe I made a request, and I expect it to be followed."

Again, the girl did not as much as flinch. When she had awoken in the middle of her kidnapping (as he carried her unconscious body from _The Red Wheel_ to the underworld in mid-flight) she had not been afraid to see the expanse of the night lit city. Masato hadn't even noticed that she was awake until she whispered about how nice the view was and he had seen her pensive face. Luckily, she had seemed to realize her place afterwards and then demanded to know his plans. There had been a mild dispute which nearly cost the girl's life but since then, the girl had grown silent.

She had taken to these silences and staring at him ever since.

Rinne's mortal was a strange one, but Masato didn't expect anything less from his enemy.

Then, to Masato's horror, Sakura Mamiya actually gave him a small smile, "Devils shouldn't make requests. It's not very horrific of them. They should be making orders, forces."

At once, Masato slammed his fist against the wall, creating a large dent in it the size of cannonball. His eyes glinted dangerously, daring Rinne's little mortal to fear him.

She didn't, only gave him a disapproving look.

He scowled, "You have no idea what I could do to you now, little girl. I am a devil and you should treat me as such. I could make you suffer through a hell beyond mortal imagination."

Menacingly, Masato stepped forward, his bat wings now opening so that their entire wingspan could over shadow Sakura Mamiya's still form, tied to the column which stretched to the roof. He looked like a monster right then, a bogeyman from nightmares. Masato let himself smile wickedly then, feeling quite elated from his show of power; this would show the human girl her place.

Sakura Mamiya looked the same as she had when Masato had first captured her, unafraid.

"You won't do it."

Masato stepped back, shocked.

"The fact that you had the ability to do so through this whole time we've been here and you haven't even bothered or thought about it, proves that you're not the devil that you think yourself to be," she said, gaze unwavering.

The devil's eyes widened with horror, different thoughts racing through him—How could she…? But this didn't mean…! She couldn't have seen through…!—before he grabbed her roughly by the neck, causing the girl's eyes to widen slightly in surprise, and he lifted her up to shout.

"You know nothing about me, you stupid human! You know absolutely nothing! I _am_ the perfect devil! I am the epitome of evil, I am—"

He stopped, the words stuck in this throat.

Strands of the girl's hair had now fallen out of her hair clip to her shoulders, making her look wild and dangerous and yet so calm and angelic at the same time. Green orbs held his calmly.

"You are…?" she said slowly, snapping him out of his trance.

The devil opened his lips to say more, shout more, anything—but he was stopped by the explosion blowing the east wall to smithereens, causing glass and marble to fly in different directions. In the ruckus, Masato and the girl were thrown into the coach, his fingers still engraved to her neck as his wings spread out like a black blanket covering both.

Shouts from the other side of the wrecked wall distracted him. They sounded familiar, like several presences he should've been about to detect, and then there were hands prying him off of the girl with heavy force.

Angry red eyes stared into his.

* * *

 _Cold air kissed her face, rushing past her tangled hair and causing her to shiver. Sakura Mamiya gingerly opened her eyes to greet the sight of blinking lights gathered in one demographic pattern and her heart warmed at the mere spectacle. She let out a sweet sigh._

" _How beautiful…"_

 _Her body suddenly jerked upwards and Sakura blinked, realizing that waking up to seeing the city from the sky was not normal. She looked upwards thoughtfully to see a familiar demon carrying her through the air over his shoulders. The demon, one she hadn't seen in a long time, was sending her a peculiar glance, as if he were confused by her._

 _Well, she supposed, it seemed logical for a demon to be bewildered by his hostages calm behaviour. They were likely used to more panicked and horrified reactions. Sakura herself wondered why she was taking this so calmly. Normally the heroine or victim would be terrified or at least concerned with their fate._

 _Then she remembered that Masato had knocked her out unconscious and taken her away from her friends, all for some kind of game._

 _Anger filled her._

" _Where are you taking me?"_

 _The devil seemed to relax at her angered—yet calm—voice and he replied coyly, "The underworld, of course, dear Sakura-chan."_

 _Well, that was rather obvious. "Why?"_

 _Masato smiled, seeing humour where Sakura saw none. "Because of Rinne-kun. Because he ruined the game. Well, technically, you ruined it by yourself when you got help from your annoying friends, but that's beside the point."_

 _Her throat was getting dry from the high altitude in the air. It was difficult to concentrate when all one could see were darkness and the damp clouds hiding the stars. Sakura furrowed her brow together in contemplation, all the while observing Masato's face which seemed eager for some sort of reaction. Her dress fluttered behind her legs sneaking in a cold draft and with that draft, came the conclusion._

 _Sakura's eyes narrowed, "You."_

 _Her kidnapper had the audacity to smile like the Cheshire cat, as if she were an amusing cartoon on the television that had just gotten hurt, "Yes?"_

" _You're the reason Rinne is like this. You told himself, some sort of lie or some sort of truth, I don't know, to make him leave. It's your fault that he's miserable and unhappy!" She yelled like she had never yelled before in her life. Anger like she had never known it bubbled just below the surface._

 _His laughter made her want to recoil in disgust. The devil ruffled her hair as if she were a student who had finally gotten the right answer. In a sense, she was. Her icy gaze did not retreat._

" _Excellent deduction, Sakura-chan… but not all correct. The doubts were there in the first place… I just gave Rinne-kun the little push, the little incentive. It's all thanks to you that I finally got to him."_

 _The fire in her dissipated, sinking into arctic cold ocean._

"… _What do you mean…?"_

 _Masato eagerly took the bait, "He was always so worried about you. He never thought he was good enough, he never thought that he deserved you… after all, such a high and almighty woman on the social ladder must marry a suitable bachelor, yes?"_

 _Her stomach twisted as Masato's words continued to echo in her._

" _I saw this… and I used it against him. Have you ever heard of Forsaken, little mortal?"_

 _And that was when he told her everything. He told her about the fate of the sighted. He told her that Rinne wanted to save her. He told her how he made a deal with Rinne, one that would give Rinne the potion to take away her sight. In return, Rinne would leave Sakura forever and take the one job he hated most—damashigami president_

 _Sakura couldn't help the intake of breath from her lips. Her hands, which had been hanging loosely over Masato's back now, fell limp. She felt waves and waves of violent emotions and trembles moving their way upwards in her spine and refusing to relent. It was all overwhelming, every bit of information. Her mind went over each conclusion thoroughly, as a scientist might rerun the trials of a vital experiment, but each time it did, she came up with the same single result._

 _Rinne had given up everything just to protect her life._

 _Just for her. Always for her. Always._

 _Memories came back to her—_

 _(_ " _Sakura Mamiya… I want you to drink that… It's for your own good."_

" _It's something that will make you safe."_

" _I'm leaving now, Sakura Mamiya. So please... forget about me… Good bye. Promise me you'll be happy in your life."_

 _"I can't,"_

 _"Leave. Sakura Mamiya… just… leave."_

 _"_ Don't look at me like that _, Sakura Mamiya …Like you love me. Like you'll forgive me. Don't look like that."_

 _They can't be forgiven. I swear, I'll protect you from anyone who wants to do you harm. You won't drown, because I'll be there to make sure you don't fall. I promise you, I'll do_ anything _to protect you because—" She remembered the pause. She remembered the reddening of his cheeks. The aversion of eyes. "Anyways… it's a promise.")_

 _Her heart felt like it had just plummeted through her rib cage and tumbled into the distantly lit buildings below, and at the same time, it felt as if it could have soared out of the atmosphere and halfway across the moon. Pain and torment and utter devotion overflowed, suddenly blue was red and red was blue, the sky was the sea and the sea was the sky and nothing was made_ sense _anymore—_

 _And just as suddenly, after everything that she had been through, today and all the years before then, she truly understood what she had (always) suspected, (always) hoped despite everything, and yet doubted for the longest time._

 _It was with the greatest pain that her voice was able to creak from her throat, the greatest pain and the greatest realization._

" _He never broke his promise."_

* * *

"What the…?" Masato wasn't given any time to finish his sentence. His brain cells hadn't had enough seconds and information to piece together the information.

Instead, those wrath-filled eyes burned holes through his soul, making him feel as if he would never be able to fly again.

A blur—and then Masato felt hard bone hit the features of his smooth face, knocking his head towards the hard ground. The ringing and stabbing pain in both his skull and jaw did not help his neurons any bit. Masato scowled and spat out a little bit of blood in disgust.

Quickly, he jumped up, looking as nonchalant and intimidating as possible, to survey what had happened.

To his mild surprise (even though he should've expected it to come sooner) it was one sort-of-ex-shinigami Rinne Rokudo, his black suit now torn from rubble and dust, red hair tousled wildly like fire. When Rinne looked at him, Masato could feel the hatred blazing.

It was all going according to plan.

But then she spoke, "Rinne!"

With renewed annoyance, for Masato suddenly recalled what the girl had done to annoy him earlier, he watched as Rinne's human rushed up to stand beside him, her face betraying all of the worry and anxiety she held for him. Without any regards to her own situation, she stared at the sort-of shinigami as if he were her whole world and as if he were something to be adored and devoted too.

No. That explanation was too simplistic. Any explanation for such strong human emotion would be too simplistic. The only other emotion that was as difficult to describe, or even on the same level as this, was hatred. But this emotion, the one that was hatred's polar opposite, no matter how close it could be, was undoubtedly _love_.

Masato's lips curled with some mix of revulsion, anger, and something else he couldn't quite name at the moment. He reached out for his cash cards to throw them at Rinne and his girl so as to stop their _touching reunion_. The devil wouldn't be able to stand it if they got intimate and ruined his game.

She noticed it. And she pushed the distracted shinigami out of the way, grabbing a shield off of the wall as protection. Sakura Mamiya stared at him calmly, defiantly, daring him to try again. Her body was positioned defensively in front of Rinne's.

Homicidal urges were running through him before he could stop it and he threw more cash cards.

Rinne shot up like a firecracker, snapping out of his daze. In an instant, he pulled Sakura Mamiya to himself and pulled out a scythe to deflect all of his shots. The blade shone and clinked beautifully, mocking him for being unable to destroy two measly mortals this soon.

"Damn it," Masato growled, but then stopped. It wouldn't do to lose control of his emotions yet. He needed to be in control, needed this game to go as planned, needed to prove himself as a devil, a true demon…

On the other hand, Rinne's own murderous aura was beginning to frighten him. The devil hadn't picked up on it earlier, too distracted in trying to attack Rinne and his little mortal. But now that Masato was refocusing his thoughts and objectives, he could feel Rinne's normally contained and controlled aura coiling around him like a snake about to swallow a trapped mouse.

It was almost demonic; but that would've been a compliment if Masato had said it.

Suddenly, something—or someone, perhaps—tackled him before Rinne or Masato could say or do anything more. Masato yelped indignantly, only catching the sight of long legs and a white uniform before he felt the crash.

The inner bowels of hell shook with a massive earthquake's might as a bundle and blur of bat wings and pure black was thrown into the polished wall of armoured suits and gaunt portraits. Masato winced with pain, blood dripping down from the cuts and scabs which had formed through contact with the cracked pieces of rubble. His usual pristine suit, kept that way through an almost obsessive impulse, was tattered with dust and grime. Judging from the extremities of the tears and cuts which had formed, Masato would not be able to get it replaced.

He shook his head to ward off the ringing migraine, replacing the pain with fury for his ruined clothes. No one messed with a devil and the time he took to look 'bad.' His fingers cracked with anticipation, as Masato quickly pulled out dozens of cash cards from his pockets, eyes narrowing at his target. The devil blinked in surprise when he realized that there was a gaping hole in front of him. His enemy had just thrown him through the wall of the guest room into the main hall—which, by the way, was decorated with priceless pottery of various diversities, all stolen, of course.

Slight fear trickled down Masato's stomach as he began to suspect the range of Rinne's anger, but he had no time to entertain the thought as another threat crashed through his wall (creating another hole, to his inner turmoil. It cost a lot to furnish this place!) shooting towards him. Masato merely caught the glimpse of red and white, before several explosions blew off around him, almost as if a militia were raining their artillery towards him.

"This is what happens when you mess with a shinigami!" came the battle cry.

His eyes widened.

The devil crossed his arms to shield himself from the dust and chaos, as he dodged many of the explosions blindly in mid air. His arm just barely brushed against something circular before another blast erupted from his side. Quickly, Masato went through his mental list of possible allies that Rinne could have brought to his side. It was after he remembered how the human Sakura Mamiya regained her sight that he deduced that it was the shinigami girl, Ageha, who was attacking him presently with her skull grenades.

"Take this, demon!" The passionate woman spat, progressing further into the room, never pausing in her assault. The bow-clad skulls in her hands flew eagerly from her hands, as numerous as rapid machine guns, perhaps even deadlier.

Masato let a thrill of excitement sliver through him as he smirked. Did that girl think she could best _him_ at such tactics? The cash cards held readily in his gloved hands eagerly shot out as soon as Masato spotted irregular movement in the aftermath of the explosions. The devil heard a yelp of pain in response and was satisfied to know that his cash cards had hit their target.

He threw them again, from several different angles, just to be sure that they would leave her immobilised. About sixty percent of the time, Masato guessed that his cards sliced into the enemy, though he had no way of deducing the exact damage with all of the smoke. Once he judged it safe to withhold his cards, the devil came closer.

Heavy breathing, a great indication of heavy wounds, sung like music to his pointed ears.

"Looks like the game is going well as planned, even if there are some little anomalies," the demon chuckled as he flew smugly through the dissipating fog.

Lying down in the ground with sharp cards slashed into her right calf and left thigh, the shinigami girl Ageha glowered at him. Her scythe was motionless, about ten feet away from her while her fingers seemed empty of any weapons or grenades. Her fingers scrambled to find something to use as a form of attack, anything. But both Ageha and Masato knew that she had exhausted her weapon supply in that desperate and angry attack.

Her impulsiveness—charging in without a plan, without thinking—had cost her.

The devil landed on the tiled floor, happy to see that his designer shoes were undamaged as he walked confidently towards Ageha's form, "Well… what will your friends do next?"

Ageha's face scrunched up in such a way that for a moment Masato thought she was going to spit at this feet and backed away slight in disgust. But she didn't, instead, she smirked, twisting something in her fingers.

He squinted to get a closer look and saw only a sliver of light reflected in a thin line. Masato's brain raced to put the pieces together. Ageha's smirk began viciously victorious.

The scythe which had been motionless only a second ago, several feet away, suddenly came hurtling towards him, the blade pointed towards his back.

The devil's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to back away—

There had been fish line connected from Ageha's fingers to the scythe the whole time.

* * *

"God I need to work out more. I swear these shinigami like flying ahead just to spite the rest of humankind," one exorcist moaned in complaint as he caught up to where the others had run ahead. He was slightly annoyed that Ageha hadn't thought to fly him with her to the guest room, but with her righteous anger and her impulsive personality it couldn't be helped.

Besides, the crashes he had just heard through the door were more concerning. Tsubasa sorely hoped that those two crazy shinigami wouldn't bring the place down. Not only would it possibly endanger them, but it would make escaping a lot harder. Though the prospect of doing property damage in hell was kind of amusing in its own way, the exorcist quirked a small grin at that and then pulled out some of his sacred ashes just in case.

Tsubasa rushed through the door and was greeted by a (once) beautifully constructed room which now looked as if a giant had punched a hole through the wall. _Oh dear, Ageha and Rinne have gone overboard,_ Tsubasa shivered with a hint of fear. He never wanted to get on their bad sides (purposefully). A more vindictive part of him laughed with relish at the punishment Masato was surely to be getting.

He spotted Sakura and Rinne standing in the middle of the room. The sight was enough to make him double take, make sure it was real, because it had been so long since he had seen the two together. The scene was nostalgic somehow and yet melancholic and bitter. For a minute a memory of the three of them back in high school emerged, happy and carefree, and Tsubasa remembered that Rinne still had a lot of things to sort out. God forbid that Tsubasa let Rinne take the easy way out.

Quickly he made his way to the reunited pair, only to catch their rushed dialogue.

" _Sakura Mamiya_ —"

The sound of Rinne's voice was full of fierce concern for her alone, concern and raw longing and pure devotion. There was so much of it that Tsubasa was surprised that there wasn't just a sign above the sort-of shinigami's head that stated he loved her.

Rinne had his hands placed firmly on her shoulders. From where Tsubasa was standing, he could only see Rinne's face and the view of the back of Sakura's neck. There was no way to tell how Sakura was feeling except through her voice.

He kept back carefully. This confrontation wasn't something he wanted to interrupt.

"—are you alright? Did Masato—" the name was spat out with such venom that Tsubasa was surprised the tiles on the floor hadn't shrunk back out of fear, "do anything to hurt you? Did he do anything at all to make you suffer?"

Tsubasa noticed how tenderly Rinne's fingers held her by the shoulders and yet how hesitant, as if Rinne were touching something too precious to be soiled. The exorcist frowned, listening further.

"Rinne—" It was almost as if the sort-of shinigami had never left, the way she addressed him, with such kindness, such tenderness and worry. However there was also a certain degree of desperate anxiousness blended into her words, something she wanted to prevent. Tsubasa watched as Sakura Mamiya removed Rinne's fingers from her, creating a notable distance between their bodies. "—I'm fine."

He saw how Rinne's eyes flickered with hurt that she had pushed him away. It was slightly ironic, but at least he was showing more emotions.

Nevertheless, Rinne regained his composure, masking his emotions (Oh how Tsubasa mentally screamed the word _idiot_ over and over again at this display), his voice businesslike and clipped.

"Sakura Mamiya, we need to get you out of here. Jumonji will take you to Rokumon and my old man. They'll get you out of here once I send Ageha after."

The mechanical way that Rinne said this made Tsubasa want to forget the idea of forgiveness all together and to shove something in the shinigami's mouth. Was the shinigami really planning to charge on ahead and face Masato, even after everything they'd said and been through? Darn it, Rinne was a stubborn masochist who honestly needed to wake up and see that he had _friends_ who were willing to fight along side him. Annoyed, he looked towards Sakura, preparing to judge her reaction.

She didn't disappoint. Her reply was stern and it refused any retaliation. "Don't worry about me. You should be worried about yourself. Masato's aim is to hurt you through me," she said bluntly.

His eyes widened, "You—"

"I know you're trying to protect me, Rinne—" her voice was rushed, "—and I also know why. But please don't do this to yourself. He's trying to ruin your whole _life_ , and now he's aiming for your—"

The ground shook. The three of them paused to look over at what had caused it. Tsubasa had the heightening conclusion that the battle on the other side of the wall wasn't going too well. For their sakes, he hoped it was Masato was getting the beating.

With most likely the worst case scenario in mind, Rinne said, "There's no time to argue, Sakura Mamiya. Just go with Jumonji and run—"

"No!" Sakura Mamiya responded in a tone that surprised both the sort-of shinigami and, partially, Tsubasa. The last time the exorcist had heard her speak in such a way was when she had demanded Ageha to help her find the damashigami headquarters when Rinne's soul had been taken from his body by the shinigami clerk Kain. It had been as if her passionate side had been awakened that day, and here, Tsubasa was seeing it again. Though he couldn't see it from where he was standing, he was sure that there was an unwavering stubbornness in her eyes right now. "Do you expect me to leave you here—"

"Yes," Rinne snapped, "I do because—"

The wall seemed to blow apart beside them, sending the three of them flying.

* * *

Ageha removed the imbedded cash cards from her skin, forcing herself to remain impassive no matter how much it hurt. Her lips curved into the smile she always bore after she successfully caught a damashigami. It made her seem darker and wilder. It was times like these when it was clear Ageha was not to be taken advantage of.

She watched as the scythe tore into Masato's right sleeve, then into his arm. The devil's eyes almost gouged out in pain and he hissed, trying to pull the blade out. His golden eyes narrowed at Ageha's triumphing smirk.

"Do you think you can stop a devil this easily? With a blade that won't even properly cut off flesh?"

As she propped up her knee to gain better balance, Ageha spat out some blood which had accumulated in her mouth. She nonchalantly wiped it off with her hand and stood up.

"I won't need to cut you into pieces when I much prefer to blow you to smithereens. Just imagine how much repairs you'll have to pay for afterwards," Ageha taunted, the threat reminiscent of what Rinne would think, "if you survive, that is."

"You're a failure of a shinigami to begin with. You can't even properly execute the former damashigami president or get your sister back. Boo hoo. I hear that all of the shinigami clans laugh at you," the devil cackled slowly, blade still in his arm.

Ageha's body stiffened and she ran up to him to punch him in the face. "Shut up!" Then she reached for the handle of her scythe and pulled down with the blade, creating a deeper wound on Masato's shoulder, making him release a yowling scream. She allowed herself to smirk victoriously for one moment, and then jumped back two meters.

Masato reached out, just as she jumped, and grabbed the back of her shirt. In surprise, Ageha jerked her scythe upwards, the top of the scythe acting as a blunt stick which hit Masato in the chin. He yowled once more, letting go of her shirt. Then Ageha landed gracefully on her feet, spun her scythe behind her, and pulled out two more bow-tied skull grenades.

She chuckled darkly before she threw them straight ahead at Masato.

The devil's eyes widened when he looked up and saw two girly decorated grenades about to land on his head.

They went off with a deafening bang while Ageha stood just in the midst of the destruction.

"Did that stop him...?" Ageha narrowed her eyes, checking through the smoke to see if Masato had, at least, been knocked unconscious and hopefully in a condition which might lead him to a coma. Maybe even suffering head trauma, she added sadistically in her thoughts.

"No. It did not," answered the voice behind her.

"What?" Ageha whipped around, only to find that a barrage of cash cards seemed to throw her backwards, cutting at her sides and legs. She lifted her scythe, attempting to block some, but there were too many. They were like a swarm of bees, all intent on stinging the enemy.

Her clothes were going to be unsalvageable, and she doubted that many of these cuts would heal for a long time.

 _How the hell did he escape?_ Ageha thought quickly.

The sound of flapping caught her attention and Ageha found herself staring at Masato's large and somewhat beautiful batwings.

 _Oh..._ Ageha concluded in her mind as Masato pulled out more cash cards, _I kind of forgot about that._

* * *

"Sakura Mamiya!" came the distant and desperate cry.

Her eyes wrenched open while a dull ache snaked within her rib cage. She winced as she got up, noting the screeching stings in her hands as she helped herself up. There seemed to be bits of marble etched into her palms and legs. She could taste blood in the back of her throat. Her eyes snapped shut once more, too tired to stay open. As she stood to her full height, she felt herself topple over backwards, almost drunkenly, and prepared for the sharp impact.

Warm arms wrapped around her waist to keep her from collapsing before they brought her to her feet. They made their way from around her waist to her shoulders, as if to distance themselves, and made Sakura feel their aching absence. She would've preferred those arms to stay close to her, rather than at a standpoint.

"—stay awake, Sakura Mamiya. Come on, don't close your eyes on me now. Please. I just got you back. I promise I won't put your life in danger ever again, just open your eyes...!—"

The dryness in her lips increased as she tried to open her mouth. "...Rinne...?"

She had to tell him what Masato had planned. She had to tell him that—

Another explosion was heard from beyond the cracked walls. Instantly, Rinne pulled Sakura to himself protectively, covering her with his body as a shield from the falling debris. His arms wrapped around her waist while one hand snaked up to the back of her head, amongst the tangled curls, making Sakura's breath hitch.

They fell against the floor, though Rinne took most of the impact. Sakura struggled to stay awake, so that she could check on Rinne's condition. Masato wasn't the type of devil who liked extremely gory fights, so she doubted that Rinne would get mutilated. Masato was more of the psychological attacker, and a devil who always targeted the soul.

If what that devil had told her was true, then soon Masato would—

"There you are, Rinne-kun, _Sakura-chan_."

Rinne groaned next to her, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Masato was hovering above them, it seemed. His suit was ruined while a dark spot near his right shoulder showed that he was bleeding. Despite this, Masato looked as confident and suave as always. As soon as Masato spoke, the red-headed shinigami shot straight up, pulled Sakura (if possible) even closer to him.

" _Masato_ ," Rinne snarled as if the name were poison. "How dare you go back on our bargain...? You promised not to involve her!"

"What can I say? She ended up breaking it for me," Masato sneered. "I offered you a serum which would take away her sight for life. It would protect her from the Forsaken. It would let her live a normal life without you screwing it up. In exchange, you would give up everything that made you happy forever, never to have any more contact, and take the one job you despised the most—damashigami president. Was it so much to ask? Your contact with that girl, your friends, your family... you pushed away all of it... just for her. It was honestly disgusting how much you would sink for that girl.

"But your suffering entertained me for many years. It never got old. And then... she came back. Her little friends gave her back the ability to see and she came back to find you... I was watching when she confronted you. It was the most wretched and entertaining spectacle I'd ever seen, the great, almighty and former shinigami Rinne Rokudo denying himself of his little human girl. It was the sweetest torture I had ever come up with for you... and I knew that I had to take it further.

"So I kidnapped her... just to see how far you'd go. And you haven't disappointed me, one bit."

Masato laughed at him from above, smirking at Rinne who had his fists clenched. The guilt and despair in Sakura doubled as she heard these words.

Weakly, she pulled one of her hands out and, gingerly, tried to touch Rinne's cheek. She had to reach him, had to tell him—

Instantly, she felt something holding her back. Sakura turned her head to find that Masato was carrying her into the air, holding her by the arms.

"Masato!" Rinne shouted. "Put her down right now!"

To Rinne's chagrin, Masato merely smiled. "What a great idea. I wonder what would happen if I fed her to some Forsaken?"

* * *

Tsubasa had ducked behind a large column, hoping dearly that nothing major would fall upon his head. Wielding his special wire, Tsubasa used it to knock away any incoming rubble. He was so ingrained in his actions that he didn't notice what happened next.

There was a blur of movement, stifled yells and shoves as something heavy was thrown towards Tsubasa's body. The exorcist fell back against the column, coughing violently from lack of air. Gingerly, Tsubasa looked down on his lap, only to register that it was Ageha's battered body that lay there.

He froze.

"Ageha!" he yelled hoarsely at her, shaking the girl by her shoulders, "Ageha, can you hear me? Say something!"

She moaned a little, convincing him that she was still alive. The distant warmth of her skin and the faint pulse were a constant reminder and comfort to him. Tsubasa let go of the breath he had been holding and took the time to investigate her wounds quickly.

The shinigami girl's shirt was torn in straight clean tears while matching scars on her thighs and calves, decorated in bright red blood accompanied them. Her face was contorted in obvious pain and she had been bruises on her elbows, which had not been cushioned in the fall. He had never seen Ageha looking so injured and weak. For a minute, he did nothing but stare, dazed, at the scars, scars made from a certain devil's cash cards.

Anger filled him as well as a hard desire for vengeance that he had never experience before. Tsubasa held her gently, careful not to stress anymore of her bruises or cuts before he laid her as delicately as possible against the column. Next, he took off his jacket, and folded it into a crude pillow for her head to lie again, all the while never losing the gentleness in his touch.

"Just stay here, Ageha. I'll take care of the rest," he said softly.

Then he stood up.

Masato had caused his friend Rinne to abandon them, to slowly rot away as a damashigami president. He had kidnapped Sakura Mamiya and caused his dear friend pain. And, as the last straw, he had hurt Ageha...

He spotted the despicable demon hovering several feet above Rinne, who was shouting something loudly. Masato had, once again, torn Sakura from Rinne's grasp.

...and he was going to drop her.

"Damn it, no one touches my friends and pisses off Rokudo except me!" Tsubasa roared, charging into the confrontation. "Sacred ashes!"

"You think that will work on me? Think again!" Masato shouted.

The cloud of fog provided cover for Tsubasa as he ran ahead, attempting to intercept Sakura from Masato's hold. True, back when he had first encountered Masato the sacred ashes had had no effect. But he had done his research since then and had consulted with many experts across the country about a different formula which would have some effect on demons. It had just been last year when he had been contacted by his father's old friend who had given him a different formula of sacred ashes which would temporarily stun devils and render them unable to fly. Since Rinne had been gone from their lives at that point in time, he hadn't dreamed that he would ever get the chance to use it.

Thank goodness for making wrong assumptions then.

He had caught Rinne's eyes before throwing the ashes and nodded as he motioned to Rinne to attack Masato.

Rinne gladly took the incentive. Even with many years of absence he was accustomed to Tsubasa's favourite attack and was able to see more clearly through the fog than others who weren't. The sort-of shinigami and Tsubasa heard a large thump as Masato fell, succumbing to the effects of Tsubasa's new and improved sacred ashes. It sort of made Tsubasa want to do a happy dance, but he refrained from doing so, given the seriousness of the situation.

"Here, take Sakura Mamiya," Rinne had somehow found her body in the dark and was handing her to him. Somehow, when she had gotten into Masato's hands again, she had been knocked out. His gentle face, when he was faced with Sakura Mamiya, changed to a darker expression when he looked down at the devil. "I'll take care of Masato."

Even Tsubasa had to shiver from the tone in Rinne's voice. It was kind of scary. He wanted to inflict pain on Masato too, as payback for what he did to Ageha. But he knew his priorities. Someone had to get Ageha and Sakura out of here. They were in no condition to stay any longer in hell.

Tsubasa gave Rinne a stiff nod, holding Sakura by the shoulders (Somehow he didn't think Rinne would appreciate Tsubasa holding her any more intimately.) "You better make him suffer or—"

The exorcist never got to finish his sentence.

They had let down their guard, thinking that Masato was finally immobile and unconscious. But they were wrong. It must have taken Masato great strength to stay awake, despite the effects of the ashes. The devil forced himself to move, biting into his tongue as the pain would stimulate his muscles to move. He had reached into his pockets, and pulled out a strange looking card—different from his normal cash cards.

Then, when Tsubasa had been distracted, he had stabbed the exorcist in the foot with the card, while lying on the ground, smirking in satisfaction when Tsubasa let out a scream and fell. Sakura Mamiya fell with him.

* * *

 _He waited for her to begin cursing her beloved Rinne-kun's name. He couldn't wait to break that flimsy bond of theirs and turn it into hate. Perhaps he could manipulate her to curse Rinne or bring him to hell. It would be entertaining to watch the former lovebirds fight against each other. Masato enjoyed turning people against the other. It was far better than the blood and gore routine the_ other _devils played. Masato's methods had turned him into a well-paid devil. He had no intention of changing that now. He_ would _show the others... he would..._

 _When the girl spoke, she said something he didn't expect._

" _Why did you do this? Why did you force Rinne into such a situation? Why are you going so far for something that happened years ago?" The girl's fingers dug into his shoulders. "It's insignificant!"_

" _Don't you call it insignificant!" Masato snapped. "He ruined my life!"_

" _You're just a coward who can't let go of the past, that's why you hurt him. You're putting all of your failures on him when he doesn't deserve it; it's unfair!" The girl told him firmly again._

 _Annoyance and anger filled him, "I'm going to get his soul no matter what, so just shut up, stupid girl. I could let you fall right now if I wasn't—"_

 _Sakura's eyes widened as she yelped, "Watch out!"_

 _They were so distracted in their arguing that they didn't notice the plane hovering overhead, coming towards them._

 _Masato swore loudly and swerved in the air, narrowly dodging the plane. But in his recklessness, his arms gave way and felt her body slip off of his shoulders._

 _The human girl fell hurtling to the city below, not even screaming while the devil, stunned, watched her do so._

I can't let her die yet! I need her to get Rinne's soul! _He thought._

 _And so, without thinking, Masato dived down to catch her._

* * *

"Jumonji!" Rinne shouted, moving towards his friend in an instant. He felt for Tsubasa's wrist and checked his pulse. The exorcist was out cold, but it looked as if he had been attacked by a rain of knives. He called for Tsubasa's surname urgently, but it did no good. Tsubasa was out cold.

Panic rose in Rinne as he searched for Sakura Mamiya next. Was she ok? Was she hurt like Tsubasa? His hand groped around, hoping to reach her, but there was only empty space where there should have been her beating heart.

Realizing had just occurred, Rinne looked behind him, only to find that Masato was gone. His body shook with anger, "Masato, what have you done to him? Where is Sakura Mamiya?"

Dark laughter echoed within the confines of the ruined room which was steadily feeling more like a deadly prison by the minute.

"So many questions... if you're polite and say 'please' than maybe I'll tell you..."

Rinne dearly wanted to open his mouth and say every cuss known to man but he knew it would do no good. This was Sakura Mamiya's life he was bargaining for and his friend's survival.

With great reluctance, Rinne clenched his fists and gritted through his teeth, " _Please_ tell me."

He was rewarded with more haughty chuckles which seemed to surround the very air he stood in. He shivered subconsciously, cursing his own weakness.

It was eerie, how his surroundings felt at the moment. With Tsubasa down, there was only himself standing in the middle of the gigantic guest room, armed with only his scythe. He felt unconfident, like a mouse cowering in a graveyard, unable to see the swooping owl above that had all the advantage. Masato was sneaking around in the shadows of his dwelling, waiting to surprise Rinne.

And with every second that passed, he couldn't help but worry about Sakura Mamiya's wellbeing...

"Oh don't worry; it's just a special weapon I had developed for particularly stubborn pests like his girlfriend, the shinigami. Just one hit, and it'll feel like twenty cash cards have cut into your body, piercing deep into the nerves. It's purely mental pain," Masato's voice echoed through the fog from the sacred ashes which had begun to dissipate.

"As for your precious Sakura-chan, I have her right here... I had to put her to sleep for a little bit but let's wake her up. After all, I want you to see her face when you make your _big decision_ ," mocked Masato.

Once the fog was clear, Rinne spotted Masato hovering precisely in the center of the grand room, where the chandelier hung right above. In the dim glow of the candlelight which had mysteriously been lit, Masato looked like a truly black hearted devil; his sinister smirk hungry for more of Rinne's suffering. Sakura's head drooped down to the ground, along with her legs, as she was held bride-style in Masato's arms like a corpse. Her long hair, no longer braided, hung past her, along with her blue dress and arms. For a minute, Rinne's heart skipped, for he had actually thought she was dead.

She wasn't. Masato snapped his fingers, murmuring something, which caused Sakura's eyes to slowly open. Rinne felt his chest compress and collapse as he drank in the sight of her thirstily.

"...Sakura..." he whispered before he could help himself.

Masato hovered even higher, watching Rinne's face contort through different hues of despair, anger and pain. The devil moved his sights to Sakura's awakening face and smirked, "Wake up sleeping beauty. We have a show for you."

"...A show...?" Sakura murmured, unaware. "For...?" Her eyes widened, "No. You can't."

Before Rinne could call out her name once more, Sakura was crying out, "Don't do it, Rinne! I'll be fine, don't give him what he wants! I can handle this on my own!"

"Sakura Mamiya, what are you talking about?" Rinne shouted, frustration coursing through him. He had to save her, keep her safe. It was what he _promised_ , what he had vowed that day and so, so much more...

"Oh yes, Sakura-chan, what are you talking about?" Masato mocked again. "Well, Rinne-kun... observe below,"

"No!" Sakura yelled.

There was an area in the floor, somewhat like a trap door. It was as large as a small bathroom, and seemed to open up slowly revealing a dark and deep pit which emanated the coldest aura that Rinne had ever felt. As the opening widened in the floor, Rinne began to catch the sounds of the most chilling and disturbing moans he had ever heard in his life. It was a mix of tortured criminal's noises as they were shackled by their thumbs, the genocide of millions of people, the grieving cries of every loved one at death. It was beyond comprehension and it was mind numbing.

The sounds were becoming so unbearable, that Rinne had to put his hands to his ears, which couldn't block out the agony. He fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the aura, the noises of pure pain. Somehow, he felt that if he looked down that trap door, he would see something so horrible and disfigured that he would never be able to look at a mangled corpse the same again. This was why Hell was feared. This was what true demons were made of.

"Forsaken...," Rinne hissed through his teeth, head against the floor.

Masato smirked, "Yes."

Even Sakura Mamiya had gone pale, and Rinne knew that she rarely showed fear around the supernatural. He wished he knew what she was thinking, so that he could push those terrors away from her mind, but he couldn't. He could only writhe on his knees from the noises of torture. He could only succumb to the madness of the devil's pleasure.

"Wh-what... do you..."

How pitiful. He couldn't even finish his sentence, so paralyzed by the sounds of the Forsaken. He hated himself then, as he had for the past several years.

 _How do I protect her from this?_

"Give me your soul, Rinne Rokudo-kun," rang Masato's voice, "surrender it to Hell and I will spare the human girl's life, this I swear on my creed as a devil."

"No, Rinne! Don't do it! Don't listen to him! I'll be fine, I—"

"Will you spare her—my—friends, as well? All five of them?" Rinne said loudly, cutting off Sakura's words. Rinne had bit his tongue to force himself to speak confidently. He would not allow Sakura Mamiya to die.

Sakura's face was too painful to look at. Her look of shock and despair made him turn away in what could've been shame.

 _Please understand, Sakura Mamiya. I can't have you all dying because of me. I can't let you die._

He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Rinne, you can't—"

"Certainly," Masato gave a crude and mocking bow, while Sakura sent him a glare, "as long as they don't interfere."

Rinne brought his head to the ground, his red bangs hiding the expression on his face. His hearth thumped terribly, achingly. His fingers shook. Then he looked up at Masato, a blank slate.

He nodded.

"No!" Two voices shouted at once—one was Sakura Mamiya, the other was Tsubasa Jumonji, who was standing up despite his bleeding wounds.

"We're not letting you take Rinne away," Tsubasa growled, "Ageha, _now!_ "

The shinigami girl had regained consciousness sometime during the confrontation and had been floating in the shadows, waiting for her cue. Despite all of the wounds all over her body, she made it look as if she was capable of battling an army.

Masato turned around, caught off guard. Then Ageha chose that moment to tackle him in the air, pushing him against the wall. Sakura Mamiya was pushed with them and fell from Masato's grasp. She fell down towards the floor with a painful landing.

Tsubasa pulled out his wire to tie around the struggling Masato, who Ageha was having the best time punching to death.

"I can't—" Masato groaned as Ageha punched him, "let him," another groan, "win!"

With all of his strength he pushed Ageha into Tsubasa, sending the two of them colliding into Sakura Mamiya, who had been trying to get up.

The impact sent Sakura Mamiya hurtling towards the one place that everyone wanted to avoid—the trapdoor.

"Oh no," muttered Masato, to the surprise of Ageha and Tsubasa.

"Ah!" Sakura yelped, her body being pulled treacherously into the pit, while her hands held on dearly to the ledge. She felt her fingers beginning to slip from human sweat and fear. Adrenaline rang through her ears.

 _Hold on,_ she chanted to herself, _hold on!_

The darkness below seemed to have a mind of its own. Something wrapped around her ankle, something that felt both slimy and as if ants were crawling around her. It pulled down on her, hard, and Sakura felt the floor slip beneath her fingers and a great loss as she was dragged into the pit.

"Sakura Mamiya!" A familiar tanned hand grabbed on to her wrist while desperate red eyes found her.

For just one moment, it was red staring into green, two heartbeats, and the hand holding on to the other body. Then her fingers reached up to wrap around his wrist tightly—

—and they fell, together.

* * *

" _Look at Masato! He got the lowest grade in class. He's always failing his assignments."_

 _There was childish giggling as feet shuffled closer together. The group of demon children huddled in their play area, surrounding by blocks and dolls depicted as cute animals under torture and many muscular devils. They ignored the one child who was fiddling with some toy cars._

" _I was listening in to what the teacher said to him this morning out of class... he said that Masato will never be the perfect devil because he lacks 'true cruelty,' he can't be cruel enough, so he can't be really evil like the rest of us."_

 _Gasps of horror and shock passed through the group of children. They shuddered in disgust._

" _How shameful!"_

" _He's a freak, what kind of devil is he?"_

 _The lone child's fingers clenched. He glared down at a plush version of a rabbit, staring up at him with button eyes. Masato wrapped his hands around the stuffed rabbit's neck and threw it to the ground. It was that red-headed boy's fault that he had failed. He had made Masato look bad in front of his class. Now he was failing all of his other assignments. It had to be because of that Rokudo guy..._

 _Masato frowned. He'd show him. He'd show everyone that he was the perfect devil, that he could be evil._

 _Next to him, the group of children had just finish ripping off the button eyes of their own toys and tearing off the limbs of their action figures._

 _Masato never really knew the difference._

* * *

"You! You've killed them!" Ageha roared, throwing the shocked Masato to the ground. "Now they... they..." She lifted up her fist to do more damage, but Tsubasa put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped. Ageha went silent for a long time before she began to cry and bury her face against Tsubasa's chest.

The exorcist could do nothing else but hold her.

But he did not relinquish his icy glare in Masato's direction. The devil didn't look at them, only the floor.

"Well?" Tsubasa scowled at him, breaking the tense silence of sobs and grief. "Is there a way to save them?"

Masato's hollow eyes looked up at him. For a minute, the exorcist was caught off guard by how vulnerable the devil looked. Masato seemed almost... human, but Tsubasa shook that thought away. Maybe in the past, with all the screwing up that Masato did in his plots against Rinne he had seemed like a bumbling idiot, someone with emotions, but now Tsubasa could only see him as a monster.

"...No... there isn't."

Tsubasa felt something inside himself break. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be true... He had just wanted his friends to be reunited again... Why did it have to come to this...?

"...I never meant for this much to happen..."

Blinking out of his mourning, Tsubasa almost didn't catch Masato's words.

"...I never meant to feed them to the Forsaken."

It occurred to Tsubasa then, that Masato was cruel... but not necessarily as cruel as a true demon should be. That devil could've just fed them all to the Forsaken any time, instead of playing around with their emotions. He had only wanted Rinne's soul (for some sissy revenge plot) and had been willing (well, Tsubasa wouldn't have put it past him to lie...) to spare everyone else's lives. He could've ripped apart Ageha's limbs or gouged out his eyeballs. He could've tried to murder Rinne the old fashioned way. Even _he_ had his limits.

Masato was pretty evil... but not evil enough. He lacked something, something that Tsubasa had yet to name, having never met any other devils besides him.

And somehow, this realization did not make Tsubasa feel any better. It made him want to hate Masato even more.

* * *

 _The thing is… a successful devil must be ruthless. He must be cunning. He must be clever and he must show no mercy. He must have a heart dipped only in black with nothing but sin at its core._

 _A successful devil must be the epitome of human darkness, the true extent of human evil._

 _But Masato wasn't a successful devil. Masato wasn't ruthless or that cunning and he didn't have a truly black heart._

 _He lacked true cruelty._

 _And that was where he had failed as a 'perfect' devil._

* * *

Her fingers clung to his wrist tightly, memorizing the feel of his skin and the feel of his pulse. She breathed in slowly. The thing that had pulled her down had snaked away and now there was only darkness. Darkness, sound and touch.

She breathed again, holding on to Rinne's wrist as if it were her lifeline.

 _I have to get us through this alive... It's my turn to protect him._

She didn't know if Rinne was awake, or if they should move. She didn't know where the Forsaken was. But she knew one thing...

The darkness surrounding them... it felt like it was breathing.

And then she saw it.


	10. Part 10

_You are alone._

* * *

Her heart was being eaten alive by a swarm of gluttonous, relentless insects called despair, madness and self-loathing. At least, that was how it felt to her as she fell to her knees and screamed aloud in some language only fear could understand.

(Heleftyou. Hedoesn'tcare. Noonecares. YouareAlone.)

It was everywhere, the maddening lurch and presence of despair, like an enveloping ocean that she had been cast into the bottom of. Her lungs and heart had no choice but to breathe it in and then suffer the poison from the inside.

(Yourmotherisgone. Youshouldjoinher. Yourfatherdiedbecauseofyou.)

The pain was beyond any mortal language or description of Hell. All she wanted to do was writhe on the ground and rip out her tongue, anything to stop the pain and incoherent sounds that seemed to come from her.

(Youareworthless. Youcandonothing. Youshoulddespair.)

Every dark memory, every disheartened moment echoed in Sakura's ears. She saw flashes of her worst experiences and fears—children taunting her for her 'lies' about spirits—her father's death—the car accident which took her mother—Rinne telling her to trust him and then realizing, upon the moment she opened her eyes, that he was no longer there—

(Agehaisdead. Tsubasaisdead. Theyarealldead.)

 _Oh God, please make it stop!_

She fell, knowing nothing but the intense pain and agony which permeated her being. She didn't know who she was anymore, only that it hurt to be alive, everything hurt. There was nothing to do but writhe against the cold ground which kissed her body with tundra's iciness. So numb, so cold, she could only forget everything... forget everything and surrender...

(Yourfault. Allyourfault. Becauseofyou.)

She screamed.

 _Give up._ Something seemed to speak to her. _Fall as you should. Let me feast on you, and it will all be over. You will have true peace you never achieved in life..._

Yes. It was so tempting—to close your eyes and never wake up. It was so tempting to give in and acknowledge the pain as the only constant in her life.

(...Giveup—)

Something beat faintly in the palm of Sakura's hand... something warm and comforting, something she couldn't live without.

She tore open her eyes when she realized what it was.

It was losing warmth, the subtle pulse weakening and becoming scarcer by the second. It felt the same as it had so many years ago, when she had taken for granted how safe it had always made her feel.

Rinne's hand clutched hers so tightly that blood was being drawn out from his nails... and... Her hand was holding his just as tightly.

 _Yes. I still remember._ Sakura slowly got up, feeling as if she were Atlas, raising the planet on her shoulders, struggling with the added weight of the ever expanding universe. Her knees wobbled beneath her while her shoulders trembled violently, yet Sakura managed to straighten her back. Her eyes fluttered against the insistent pressure to cry, against the urge to rip out her own sight.

(Giveup. Diealone. Giveup.—)

"S-st…op… It…,."

She stared straight ahead, at the myriad of violence and despair, hopelessness and human fear. The human fear of being alone, abandoned... _Forsaken…_

(Give up. Diealone—)

Yet when she felt that beat beneath his skin, the feel of his hand in hers, the knowledge that she was here with him, Sakura emptied her mind of doubts and then… she let it be.

(Give…)

The Forsaken, with its shifting body of moaning images of faces that were at the same time, not faces, shifted forward. It opened one of its salivating and screaming mouths reached out with one of its many arms and moved towards Rinne's unconscious form, to shift him into the drowning abyss of its oesophagus. There, he would join the soulless masses within the infinite stomach and join the faces of despair painted on the Forsaken's blubbery body.

(…)

Hundreds of dangling hands—severed from their bodies, now a part of the ever-consuming Forsaken—reached out to take their prey. They were like the sinners of Hell, reaching out to heaven in despair, asking for mercy, for redemption. A line of hands, a line of grasping fingers, all searching for even faintest breath of life.

It was hard not to close your eyes. It was hard just to keep standing. Only the constant reminder of his faint pulse kept her sane—as sane as she could be—and set her priorities straight.

She had to save Rinne. She couldn't lose him to the physical manifestation of fear.

(Give up. _**No I won't.**_ Give up. Die alone. _**No. I. Won't.**_ )

Sakura blotted out as many of her darkest memories as she could, bit down hard on her tongue to remember and hold on to the reason—all of it slipping away so slowly—she was here. She moved in front of Rinne, shielding him from the predatory hands.

( _Give up. Give up. Just let him go._ _**How many times do I have to tell you 'no'? I won't give up on him. Never again.**_ )

And in a final desperate move, she embraced the sort-of shinigami, as if her arms could be enough to save him from the dark side of his heart, just as the Forsaken's limbs dug into her shoulders, about to tear her apart.

* * *

 _They were standing on the water. There was a darkening blue sky, shaded with hues of magenta and violet as at sunset, yet there was no sun. The light did not come from any nuclear source in outer space, nor did it reflect off of the surface of the moon. Instead, the light came from a spinning red wheel in the sky and it seemed as though the fields of endless pink blossoms, strangely similar to the cherry blossoms that grew on trees, were glowing like fireflies against the backdrop._

 _The wind was warm and comforting like a parent's embrace, a lover's caress. It gently blew the scattered petals into the sky and in the middle of the field, there was a Venetian wishing fountain. It was strange to find such craftsmanship in this dreamlike landscape. Images of western grim reapers, the river of Styx, the demons of hell, angels of heaven, shinigami seemed perpetually etched against the marble of the fountain. The water was supposed to flow through the spout of the marble skeleton holding a jug._

 _But there was no water. There was only untouched water in the fountain, an undisturbed pool that could be mistaken for poor glass. Coins of different currency lay dormant beneath it. The red-haired figure sat by the fountain, one leg resting against the curve while the other steadied him on the ground._

 _He looked as if he wanted to reach into the fountain and fish out all of the coins, count them up and save them for better means. At the same time, he looked at the coins as if they were not there, as if there wasn't even water in the fountain at all, as if it was empty and he could only stare._

 _She couldn't comprehend how she had gotten to this place. The last she remembered was pulling Rinne into her arms and hoping that, against all odds, they would somehow survive and make it through, that she'd be able to reach Rinne with her heart and tell him wholeheartedly that he—_

 _She finally noticed the figure at the fountain—that was him. Sakura's heart sped up as she rushed urgently towards him. The light blue sundress that she didn't remember putting on (what had happened to the evening gown?) fluttered behind her. The flowers seemed to part like the red sea, petals flying around her as if to welcome a long lost friend._

 _Her hand grasped the edge of Rinne's shoulder. She opened her mouth to say something, turned to see his face and then—_

— _she froze to see that there was no warmth from this body, no life in its eyes and no colour in its skin. It was like a corpse, a doll that was impersonating her Rinne. In revulsion, she wanted to push it away, but instead she held it close, for it was the only companion she had in this strange place._

 _All of the flowers seemed to die right then. It was like someone had drained the entire colour, the life away. The sky darkened to night and Sakura shivered, wishing that the dress had appeared with sleeves and less of an exposed back. The sunhat she had mysteriously required did nothing to cover her eyes from the cold._

 _She had to move, find Rinne, get away from the Forsaken, get away from_ here _—wherever this was—of course—_

 _Someone was crying._

 _It was distant and faint, but someone was crying. For a minute, Sakura thought her ears were playing a trick on her, that she had mistaken the sound for the wind. But the cry continued, and with it, the anguish seemed to resonate deep within Sakura's heart._

 _Shifting the doll of the sort-of shinigami in her lap, she looked around and squinted in the dark. There was nothing she could spot in the dead fields. No… the crying seemed closer than that. Curiously, she stared into the water of the fountain itself… and saw the image of a little boy…_

 _Her hand reached out to touch the image—red hair, red eyes, a familiar detached expression—before Sakura fell over with the Rinne doll, like Alice and the entrance to wonderland, and she fell into the wishing fountain._

* * *

"There has to be something we can do."

"There's nothing," the devil responded dejectedly. "No one can survive against Forsaken. They are made of everything negative in the universe. They are reflections of our fears."

The _slap_ echoed throughout the wrecked lair over and over again. Ageha panted heavily, her hand trembling after all the force she had put into that blow. The shinigami glared into the devil's eyes, hoping the strength of her loathing would burn him at the spot. Then again, if you read western literature, perhaps he would enjoy the flames instead.

"How dare you? You can't tell us that there's nothing. There can't be _nothing_. There's always something we can do! We found Rinne, didn't we? We reunited Rinne and Sakura, we were going to be together again, all of us, but you, _you took it all away!_ "

"Ageha!"

Tsubasa held her back before she could permanently disfigure Masato for eternity (not that it mattered to the exorcist, Masato's wellbeing, that is.) Ageha was too hurt to be up and about again. He hated to see her push herself like this, looking deranged and broken. The exorcist held her tightly until she relented and stayed still.

She didn't cry. Tsubasa wouldn't have blamed her for it. But no, she didn't cry.

Masato stared hopelessly at the gaping hole in the floor, thinking of the two souls that would soon be devoured.

"…Hey."

Masato looked up. It was surprising to see that that the exorcist hadn't tried to rip his heart out yet. Maybe it was delayed grief.

However, the exorcist showed no murderous intent—yet. His eyes were angry and clearly blamed him, but his voice gave no thoughts to these emotions.

"You said that the Forsaken are reflections of our fears… but wouldn't it be possible to overcome fear, if you somehow remained sane enough? Wouldn't it be possible to remain sane enough to escape the Forsaken and live to see another day?"

"No. Impossible. You can't. When you're alone, you're the most vulnerable."

"But they have each other. They could get through this."

The devil let out a cynical laugh. "You don't know the darkness of the human mind like I do. Our own darkness is the hardest to ignore… some people would rather go on, pretending that they're alone, instead of taking the hand that is so clearly there."

"You're such foolish creatures."

* * *

 _She was being engulfed by a sea of memories, memories which passed through her body in the image of coins. They entered her, filling her with images of his darkest moments. Image within image flickered through her mind at different points. They sped so fast, bits and pieces of a distorted film. Sakura felt as if she would choke spontaneously if she was subjected to anymore._

 _There was a boy sitting on the floor counting the money to see his mother, his piggy bank sitting by him—then it changed. It was an older boy, yelling at his father—no—now it was a boy, watching his grandmother cry. A boy, seeing the last rise of his grandfather's chest. A boy, trying to earn money but being turned away from every store. A boy, making due as he lived in a box. A boy, finally landing employment making fake flowers. A boy, meeting a strange school girl. That same boy, beginning to feel something for that girl. Then, the boy, taking away what means the most to him, even if it means he can never see her again—one stolen kiss—and then disappearance. But the boy, years later, still watches over her, still protects her, still sees her yet it hurts so much because she can never see_ him _, not like she can see the exorcist, her friends, her future partner—it hurts, it hurts but he must not break because—_

 _She couldn't breathe. It was just like back then, when she was drowning in the River of Styx, only this time there was no hand to pull her out—_

 _Sakura wrenched away from the coins, attempting to swim away. Her hands darted out while she searched the strange aqueous environment for any light, any sign of surface. But Sakura only noticed the glittering quality of yen coins, all floating towards her, attracted to her like leeches. They swarmed towards her again, blocking her line of sight while Sakura kicked away. She felt as if she had fallen into the Amazon, and that these were piranhas, come to eat her up._

" _Stop it!" Sakura cried out, surprised she could speak underwater (that is, if this_ was _water in the first place)._

 _It did little good. The coins continued to pass through her body—giving her more insights into Rinne's past. More images flashed before her, threatening to cancel all further thought. Sakura feared that if she continued to bear witness to the shattered pieces of Rinne's mind, she would go insane. So many trials... so much suffering..._

 _Another image... voices now, accompanying them. Thoughts, coherent with them._

 _(It's the day of the car accident. He is watching her, even though he had promised himself that he wouldn't do this anymore, that he wouldn't interfere with her life. But when he sees the car swerve, he has to act—_

 _There is chaos as he reaches into the car and instinctively, his arms, as if they had never left, wrap around her. The car is swerving. He sees the blur of traffic lights, feels the glass shatter and cut into his haori, into his skin, but he holds on to her unconscious form. He is determined never to let go, never to betray her again. He almost blacks out by the time the paramedics come._

 _It is too late for her mother._

 _He watches, invisible, as she cries for, yet, another lost parent._

 _It is the second hardest thing he has ever had to do in his life, besides the day he gave her the potion, when he has to leave without giving her comfort, without letting her know that he's there, always there to watch her. Even when she speaks out loud to him, when she thinks she's alone. Even when she cries sometimes, when she thinks there's no one there._

 _But he's there. He's always there, and he can never, ever, touch her.)_

" _You're not supposed to be here!" A strangled voice calls out to her._

 _Sakura snapped out of the memory, a hot burning sensation in her eyes. It was hard to see through the murky depths of this sea of memories. She was still being barraged with coins and memories, so sequentially, she felt as if she were seeing two things at once—the memories, and what was before her._

" _Get out of my mind, Sakura Mamiya."_

 _She looked down below her, the coins glittering around her dress in the water. She felt as if she was staring into a never ending blue abyss. She also felt, as if that hollow emptiness was staring back at her, like the Forsaken and its eerie faces..._

 _(Another memory. He is looking at her and Jumonji at the fair... they're about to touch hands. His own hand is gripped in a fist as he feels the disgusting feeling of jealousy eat up his mind...)_

 _Her body betrayed her shock, as she saw something thrashing in the water's darkness. There were hands. They were the Forsaken's many hands, moving together like one unit. They were like worms, wiggling around in the mud, in a can of bait for fish. Only this was more repulsive, because it was a sea of body parts, all thrashing and reaching out to one prey..._

 _(Another memory. There is a damashigami secretary, the one who used to be his father's. She follows him everywhere, reminding him of another unwanted admirer, her younger sister. He spends every day silently loathing his job as the president, trying to bottle his indignation, trying to bury the desire to run out of his office and see_ her _, ask for forgiveness...)_

" _Rinne!" She tried to swim closer, but the coins seemed to hold her back, a glittering net which tied her to the light shining through the water._

" _Don't come any closer! Go back!"_

 _He looked ragged and weary. Claw marks and bruises made their way down his chest and arms. The Forsaken's limbs were pulling him down. It seemed that he had resisted at first, but now he had lost the resolve to do so. He looked like a poor soul who had dropped into Hell and was being eaten alive by sinners. Sakura's heart nearly stopped as she saw the blood running down his face. Yet he still had the strength—the audacity—to look at her so fiercely..._

 _(Another memory. Ageha has returned, and he goes blank. He tells her that he will never love her. He tells her this because it is true and he feels like his heart has dried up like winter and he will never see_ her _again. He gives Ageha the pendant, because he can't bear to look at it anymore and because, deep down, he wants Sakura to know... he wants to know if Sakura remembers him, he saw her laughing at the university the other day, and wonders how long it will be before he is replaced...)_

" _This is no place for you. Ask Jumonji to send in some rope. There may still be a chance for you, if you use me as bait. Leave my mind and escape from the Forsaken. It's too late for me. My soul isn't strong enough; I collapsed as soon as I felt the Forsaken's aura. But you..." his eyes seemed to fill with a strange hope, "you still have enough strength to stand, to move. You have a chance to survive, Sakura."_

 _(Another memory. He is sitting outside of Sakura's house. She can't see him. He can see her. His hand ghosts the knob of her door. The other wants to reach the doorbell. He doesn't move for a long time. And then he leaves, the hollow feeling increasing all the more, while voices whisper that he is being a coward. She will never forgive him and he is alone...)_

" _You're such an idiot, Rinne," Sakura whispered so softly, so tenderly, that the insult could only serve as endearment. "I'm not leaving here without you."_

 _Before any more coins could show Sakura their memories, before Rinne could protest, Sakura smiled._

 _Then, somehow or another, she fell towards him._

" _NO!" Rinne tore himself out of the murky pool and grasp of the Forsaken's limbs. He swam towards her frantically, determined that she would not fallen into the Forsaken's clutches._

 _They met halfway, freed from the memories and free from the Forsaken. Automatically, Rinne wrapped his arms around her waist, watching as the water played with her hair, making her seem ethereal as the light fell on her face. She smiled at him, thinking the same thing. Only for her, Rinne would always look beautiful, under the water or not. She wound her arms around his neck, and pulled him close._

" _Sakura Mamiya! Are you crazy?" The arms tightened, "Do you want to be consumed by the Forsaken? It's bad enough that it's entered_ my _mind, I don't want it to come into yours!"_

" _No," she answered cheerfully. She liked the way the water seemed to soften his red bangs. It made him look more otherworldly, like a true shinigami. "Are you crazy?"_

" _This is no time to be joking! You could have died!"_

" _You could have too," she responded sadly. "I wish you'd think of yourself sometimes. Didn't I say I wouldn't leave without you?"_

" _Sakura..."_

 _He hardened his features, but she moved her hands up to thread her fingers through his hair. The water swished around them and for a moment, they didn't notice that they were in Rinne's metaphorical mind, or that Forsaken seemed to have entered it as well. There was just the water, and there was something very relaxing about it._

" _Rinne, come back with me."_

 _There was hesitation in his eyes._

" _I can't, I don't—"_

" _I can't face the Forsaken without you. I could only stand up and think clearly when I saw that I was holding your hand. All I could think about was protecting you," she confessed. "I can only escape if you come with me too."_

 _His face crumpled. "But you saw my memories. You saw my weakness, my fears... You should know that I don't have any more power to go on...," his voice threatened to break with untold emotion. "I failed you."_

 _All of his efforts to prevent Sakura from meeting the Forsaken had proved ineffective. In the end, she was here about to be devoured by one anyways._

" _No you didn't."_

 _She leaned in closer, so that he could see every eyelash..._

" _Didn't you listen? Alone, I would have been devoured instantly. But I'm not alone. You're here with me, you're keeping me sane. We can keep each other sane, sane enough to block out the Forsaken's aura, sane enough to get out of here._

" _You're always sacrificing yourself. You never tell anyone how much you suffer. You never show it, always having an expressionless face. You're always distant, and you won't hesitate to be cold if it's to protect the ones you love. You're always protecting me, even at the cost of your own happiness... and God knows that you have suffered so much..._

" _But let me in, Rinne... you're not alone. I want to share the burden with you. Let me help you, like you've always helped me."_

 _And before Rinne could say anything more, Sakura closed the gap between and brought their lips together. It was strange; she couldn't taste a thing, seeing as they were in a dreamlike state, Rinne's mind. But she could feel a sweetness flutter through her heart, and by the way Rinne was clutching her, she knew he could feel it too._

 _When she stepped back, she stared at Rinne's befuddled expression with amusement and whispered, "You did steal the first kiss, I hope you remember. Time to wake up."_

* * *

They were back, awake, whatever it was called.

The Forsaken's sluggish body was surrounding them. It resembled a giant sack of pumped nutrients, plastered with groaning human faces, with mouths wide open. Their breaths mingled, smelling of rotting teeth and maggots. One of the Forsaken's faces was close to swallowing Sakura's head, while its clammy hands grabbed at Sakura's dress.

She squeezed Rinne's body tighter, wondering if her encounter with Rinne had all been a dream and if she was about to die under the stench and disgusting lair of the Forsaken. Sakura decided that it was better if she was to die first, she would not let the Forsaken lay its limbs on Rinne, even if she had to be killed trying. The Forsaken's numb aura was having less of an effect on Sakura now that she had a goal to focus on.

She shuffled her bruised arms around Rinne and grabbed his fallen scythe. It would be her first experience holding one, but it was better than being defenceless. There had been one time when Sabato had stolen Rinne's scythe and Sakura had had to get it back, but other than that, she had never really used one. She didn't know if the blade would cut the Forsaken, but she could try.

The scythe's handle felt both unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. Its weight was heavy in her hands; she barely had the strength to lift it up with one arm, the blade a heavy burden. Her other arm had to be used to support Rinne, for she was not going to let go of him any time soon. Yet Sakura felt herself stagger, trying to swing the scythe. Rinne and Ageha made the task look easy.

The faces on the Forsaken's body began to moan at her, whisper to her with those despicable words again, words of 'give up' and 'die alone.' No, she refused to listen to them.

"Get away!" Sakura shouted, swinging the scythe awkwardly at a rather pudgy and swollen face.

It was a lucky strike when Sakura felt the blade cut roughly across the face, making it bleed out blood which smelled like pus. She wanted to vomit at the sight and felt disgusted at herself. But Sakura shook her head. This wasn't a human, this was a physical manifestation of human suffering, human fear. Letting fear of fear rule over her would only succeed to getting her devoured sooner.

She sliced again, her wrist burning under the pressure, when she felt another face ghost its breath behind her neck. Again, the putrid blood bubbled out, much like yellow waste from a blister. Some of it landed on her dress and her cheek. Sakura felt its sting painfully, yet kept slicing at whatever part of the Forsaken came closer, trying to shut out the whispers...

Watching another face shriek and bleed, retreating into the body, Sakura knew this couldn't go on. She couldn't fly like other shinigami. She was surrounded, the space closing in as moments went by. At this rate, she would be swallowed... she was beginning to lose her grip on her sanity again, hearing the voices whisper in her ear, telling her that this was her fault, that she was going to die alone here...

The hand in hers tightened around her wrist.

Sakura snapped out of her desolation to meet a red gaze. She had never felt so happy to see those eyes.

"Rinne...!"

For the first time since she had seen him in the last two years, Rinne's lips quirked up into a small smile.

"Sakura... I'm sorry for not waking up sooner. It was hard to figure out how after you kissed me."

Her mouth dropped wide open. She wanted to ask him if he was alright, if he was hurting anywhere, if he had had a strange dream as well. But all these questions were inappropriate for the situation they were in right now. Her gaze darted to the blur of dead faces and limbs, the anxiety which had risen over time...

Sakura was so distracted by her new fears that she did not notice Rinne shifting in her hold.

When she focused back towards Rinne, he had moved his arms around her, so that both his hands were on hers. She was now holding the scythe with both hands, Rinne's over hers, his body over hers. This was no time to be flustered, but Sakura's heart sped up nonetheless.

"I'll guide your movements," he whispered to her ear. "But you'll be in full control of the scythe. Make an opening big enough so that I can fly us out of here. I'll need you to slash any part of the Forsaken which tries to follow us out."

Her hands were sweaty against the handle of the scythe. She swallowed, trying to calm down her frantic heartbeat and nodded once. Rinne couldn't see it, because he was behind her, but he felt it and squeezed her hand in response.

They had to stay in skin contact if they wanted to remain sane after all. If they didn't, the Forsaken would invade both their minds and swallow them whole.

She cleared her mind, and thought only of the task.

His fingers moved hers upwards, and Sakura discovered that she _did_ have the ability to cut an opening through the Forsaken's body when she willed enough strength, when she had a guide. The scythe wasn't so heavy anymore; it felt as if it were moving on its own.

"Yes, that's it, Sakura." His soft encouragement was a fuel to her perseverance.

The opening wasn't big enough. Sakura tightened her hold on the scythe and cut again, tearing open that sack-like body and exposing the light of Masato's chandeliers above. She didn't even have to tell Rinne to move, he did so.

They were flying through the air, Rinne holding on to her tightly so she wouldn't fall. She trusted him unconditionally, and kept focused on her task. They weren't far enough from the Forsaken to be neglected from its effects. She could still hear the faint whispers and deceptions in her head, could still feel her fears trying to take over.

In fact, the Forsaken wasn't about to let them get away so easily. It rose up like a tidal wave, rows of faces swarmed towards them, reaching out with rotting hands.

Sakura swung the scythe as hard as she could to bash the moaning images away. Yet the injured limbs of the Forsaken merely stumbled in their paths slightly before speeding up just as quickly again. Fear bubbled up in Sakura's chest, a fear which told her that they might not escape.

"We're going to get out of here," she whispered to herself and to Rinne, who she felt had faltered in his flight. He still hadn't recovered from the effect the Forsaken had on him. It still affected him more than it did her, emotionally, that is. "We can survive."

The only response she received in turn was another tightening of his hands on hers. She nodded to herself again and repeated the effort to slash away at the Forsaken, which seemed to grow more resilient to the scythe's blade.

She had some progress when she stabbed the scythe directly into one of the Forsaken's faces. The description was so disturbing that Sakura had to force herself not to vomit, not to think of real human beings, as she plunged the blade in several more times. This helped pick off some of the Forsaken's... faces, but not the arms.

No, because one of the bodiless arms managed to grab Sakura's ankle.

She felt it only when it was too late, and when the arm tried to rip her from Rinne's hold.

"No!" Sakura screamed out, trying to hack off the Forsaken's arm. When she did, the other arms had swarmed over and grabbed at her ankle, then her knees, then her other leg.

"Sakura!"

The sort-of shinigami held her by the waist, and was trying desperately to fly away. They were only a few meters away from the edge of the hole. It wasn't fair that the Forsaken's grip was getting stronger.

A sudden thought occurred to her. Rinne was free, he could escape. Sakura looked up at him frantically and said, "Leave me!"

The most wounded look appeared on Rinne's face, his eyes filled with absolute horror. It was a look Sakura hoped never to see again on her shinigami.

"You told me that you weren't leaving without me," his eyes grew dangerously intense. "I'm not leaving without you either."

Then he looked upwards and shouted, "Jumonji! Ageha! Can you hear me?"

* * *

Tsubasa froze when he heard Rinne's voice.

"He's alive. They're both alive," he said without thinking.

Ageha pulled herself out of Tsubasa's arms in shock, while Masato looked as if he would either faint from overwhelming shock or dance on a table.

"Yes!" Tsubasa ran over to the edge of the hole to yell downwards. The fearful aura of the Forsaken made him a bit dizzy and sick, but he stomached it enough to get word to his friends.

A few seconds later, Rinne shouted, "Get us some rope or something, anything! I can't hold on for much longer, it's got Sakura!"

The exorcist scrambled to grab his sacred wire. It was sturdy and it would do the trick. As he dashed back to the hole, Ageha swiped it from him. He glared accusingly at her but Ageha beat him to an explanation.

"I'll fly down there and give it to Rinne. It's better this way. You hold the other end of the rope so that if I get affected by the aura, I don't fall in."

Hell no, are you crazy?

Well, that was what Tsubasa would have said if it weren't for that intimidating look Ageha was giving him. He didn't want her to get close to the Forsaken, to danger... but these were his friends.

Risks had to be taken.

"Fine. Whatever, just—promise me you'll be careful," Tsubasa ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Ageha gave him the other end of the wire, "Aw, I'm touched that you're worried—"

He wanted to protest that he wasn't worried about her, thank you very much.

"—but if you're holding on to the other end, there's no way I'll fall."

A warm feeling seemed to glow within Tsubasa's body. He felt his face heat up a little, at the sight of absolute trust Ageha was giving him. Tsubasa settled for nodding with a neutral expression, and holding the other end of the wire as tightly as he could.

Beside him, Masato had gotten up. The devil also put a hand on the wire. Tsubasa was about to berate him, thinking that the devil might cut the wire on purpose, but when he saw the resolution in the devil's face, he said nothing. There wasn't much to know about devils and hell, but when Tsubasa knew a man who was trying to repair his mistakes from a man who only wanted to be cruel.

In front of them, Ageha stood poised to dive into the abyss. She stood there, almost fragilely, the wire tied around her waist, while she held some skull grenades just in case. For a minute, Tsubasa thought she might not jump, might be afraid to go into the deeper parts of Hell.

But that moment pasted when Ageha locked eyes with him. She rolled her eyes, "I'll come back. Stop worrying."

She jumped in.

Tsubasa could only hope—no, that wasn't the right word, _trust_ would be a better choice—that she would return, with both Rinne and Sakura, while he held on to this rope.

And that... was the hardest part.

* * *

She had never fallen face first into the depths of despair before. Humans and shinigami alike, hid from their inner doubts and fears, refused to face them. They placed such power on the things they abhor and fell so easily against the face of fear—even her, especially her.

Ageha had always wanted to be brave. She had always wanted to be the heroine, just like her parents, just like her sister. Yet when she had fought damashigami, she had made mistakes. Her sister had also betrayed her. It had only been in meeting people like Rinne, like Sakura and Tsubasa, that Ageha had truly understood what it meant to be a shinigami.

It meant she needed to preserve and value the soul and its relationships. There was no shame in falling in love and never having the feelings returned. There was no shame in making friends with those you thought were your rivals. There was no shame in setting aside your differences and realizing that there may be more to saving a soul than holding a scythe.

There was no shame in looking at yourself and realizing that you weren't perfect... and that it was ok.

Sakura had taught her that.

Ageha fell forward even faster, slowing down her descent to look for any sign of Rinne or Sakura. She caught something in the corner of her eyes and saw the most repulsive being pulling Sakura down into the abyss by the legs. Rinne was struggling to stay aloft. His arms refused to move from around Sakura's waist. The stench and the feel of hopelessness increased with the presence of the Forsaken.

Angrily, Ageha pushed away the fears which began to rise in her and threw several skull grenades at the limbs which were seizing Sakura.

Upon impact they exploded, making enough hands release their hold for Rinne to pull Sakura away from the Forsaken and into his arms. He held the mortal girl tenderly, so much so that Ageha felt (insanely enough) as if she were intruding.

There was no time for that. She threw several more bombs towards the Forsaken and shouted Rinne and Sakura's names.

Rinne noticed her and flew over tiredly. They both looked worse for wear, with countless bruises and cuts, worse than what Ageha had gotten from Masato. She bristled with righteous indignation at the sight of the wounds, before she swallowed the need to invoke justice and wrapped the wire around all three of them.

"Wait... it's still coming after us...," Sakura was conscious enough to say.

Ageha smile gently at her, "Don't think about it. I'll handle it."

The female shinigami tugged on the wire twice to signal to Masato and Tsubasa that it was safe to reel the wire in. Then she tossed more bombs below, hoping it would be enough to paralyse the creature, even for a few precious moments.

There wasn't anything to say before Tsubasa and Masato responded and pulled them back out.

* * *

Tsubasa threw his arms around all three of them as soon as they stepped on the checked floor. He burst out in faux tears, crying out, "Thank god, you're all ok!"

"There, there," Ageha patted his back, letting Sakura and Rinne have some space.

Nonetheless, Tsubasa and Ageha quieted down to listen in on what their companions would discuss. They hadn't come all the way to _The Red Wheel_ , to the other world and then to Hell to battle a selfish devil and the Forsaken for nothing after all.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Rinne put her gently on the ground.

"Yes. Are you?"

"I'm fine."

The pair stared at each other for a while. It made Ageha slightly irritated. They were screaming-out-loud in love with each other and that was all they could say? When she whispered this to Tsubasa he told her to shut it and learn some tact.

It would take time.

Unfortunately, the Forsaken was not going to lie forgotten.

"Everyone back away from the abyss _now!_ " Masato shouted, flying in front of them with his big black wings. Rinne pulled Sakura against him, while Ageha and Tsubasa seemed to shove each other to the side (how that was possible was debateable).

The chandeliers started to shake, and along with them, the entire suite. The vibrations increased in intensity before the tiles broke apart and the entire body of the Forsaken burst from the ground like a hungry alien, bent on world domination.

At the sight of the grotesque creature, Tsubasa had an urge to bang his head against the floor, "Oh dear Lord, can't we catch a break here?"

Apparently not.

"Enough talking, let's banish this thing," Ageha bristled, holding yet more grenades. It seemed she had an endless arsenal, though Tsubasa knew for a fact that she was running low on them now... He also pulled out his sacred ashes, hoping they'd have some affect on this presumable invincible monster.

Rinne and Sakura warily held his scythe together. It looked as if they were trying to prevent each other from falling down, relying on each other's will.

The four of them didn't look like much, but this would have to do.

Masato stood in front of the Forsaken, quivering. Even devils were not adverse to the aura of the Forsaken, even if they did keep Forsaken in their cellars and what not.

"We need to seal it down below again!" Masato shouted, "If it gets loose, a lot of property in Hell will be damaged and it will be murder trying to pay those debts, even in the afterlife!"

That comment certainly held Rinne's rapt attention. Time didn't change that part of him.

"Alright, how do we do that?" Rinne asked, begrudgingly listening to the devil's advice. He seemed to be the only one with any knowledge of Forsaken.

"We kill someone as a sacrifice, of course. It's the only way to appease the creature and let it be sealed up again," Masato said. He tossed a book in Tsubasa's direction. "Oh, and don't forget to chant the words on page 62. Just the top paragraph. It should be efficient if an exorcist says it."

"Wait just a second here, there is no way we're going to kill off any of our comrades—"

"I'm not talking about any humans or shinigami," said Masato quietly as he seemed to fly closer to the Forsaken's body.

No one knew what Masato was talking about, perhaps because of some well-earned prejudice and dislike. It was only Sakura who finally came to the right conclusion, only then it was too late.

"Masato... no, you can't mean—"

The devil smiled wickedly at her, at least, it was meant to be a wicked smile. It was rather ironic considering what he was about to do next.

"Of course I do, little mortal."

The Forsaken reached up and grabbed Masato's wings, pulling him down into its many mouths, and many jaws of sharp and rotting teeth. The whole time, Masato merely stared at them, refusing to scream or shout, even when he was being eaten slowly.

"The death of a devil," Sakura whispered quietly, while Masato gave one last smile and closed his eyes, appearing more human than any of them had ever seen the devil look.

Several frozen moments later, Tsubasa read out the incantation with a shaken whisper.

The Forsaken was sealed.

* * *

 _You are alone._

 _Alone in your personal fears, personal doubts and personal sins._

 _And yet, when you open your eyes, and you look around at the other people around you, those who are also alone, you realize..._

 _Everyone has their burden..._

 _But if you carry them together, they're much lighter._

 _And you can keep walking, even if they are still heavy._


	11. Part 11

_And they lived happily ever after... right, grandpa?_

* * *

"You don't need to worry about the expenses... we have seized them from Masato's bank account. We understand that he lured you in illegally using the Forsaken and several banned drugs—"

No, they only wanted to cover up that fact that a rag-tag team of humans and shinigami had single-handedly taken out one of their top devils. Rinne could tell from the nervous glints in their eyes and the simpering smiles. These devils looked out for themselves and the reputations of their businesses. They wanted no association with a demon who had lacked true cruelty.

Such was the reality of business, of hell.

"—in return, you must sign these contracts and never mention this incident again—"

"We have no responsibility to sign anything," Rinne said coolly, making sure to keep his arm around Sakura's waist. He had not parted from her side since the investigation had begun and had no intention of doing so. "We're returning to the human world. If you try to stop us, I promise that the damashigami company _will_ take the necessary measures to sue you."

That was another bluff. He doubted that his underlings cared what happened to him, as long as they didn't have to pay their daily quotas. The fate of their president was meaningless as a celebrity's fame was short lived. Once the initial fandom died, the star would be forgotten in the next decade.

It worked nonetheless. The devils in black suits backed off, afraid to go near Rinne lest he smite them. They apologized profusely for disrespecting him and promised to leave him alone from then on. His father's notorious reign, when he had been Damashigami president, still lived on, even here. It was perhaps the only moment in Rinne's life where he was glad to use Sabato's swindling to his advantage.

He turned to look at Tsubasa, who was supporting a weary Ageha by the shoulder and his father, who stood rather awkwardly in the mess, Rokumon on his shoulder.

"Let's go," said Rinne.

Rokumon transformed into his larger cat form, so that all five of them could climb on. It was a bit crowded, but none of the shinigami wanted to fly separately. Ageha was too tired to fly; his father proclaimed laziness and Rinne didn't want to leave Sakura yet.

He kept seeing images of her risking her life to save him from the Forsaken, he kept seeing her dying in front of him. It was only the steady pulse in her wrist, which he held in his hands, that assured him that this was reality and not the dream.

Dimly he was aware of the soft tones of Tsubasa and Ageha in conversation and the rumbles from Rokumon's breathing. His father was oddly contemplative, gaze drifting to the distance, perhaps thinking of Ageha's sister. The wind rushed in Rinne's ears along with the sound of his pulse.

"...I can't believe he's really dead," Sakura said softly, interrupting his scattered thoughts.

For a moment, he did not answer. But then he replied, "Neither can I."

They let the silence of the wind and crinkling flames on Rokumon's fur fill the void and questions between them.

"He was a kind demon, in the end," she murmured quietly.

Rinne said nothing. His own recollections of Masato were bitter and painful. He did not want to spend his time with Sakura focused on that devil's death.

He tightened his grip around Sakura's wrist. If she found it odd, she said nothing, only to place her other hand around his. Together, they listened to each other's pulse beats, knowing that just because Masato was dead now didn't mean his actions had stopped haunting them.

* * *

" _Tell me a story, grandpa," Rinne remembered asking him._

 _He had been young then, only five or six, but he had loved hearing his grandfather speak of fairy tales. He had loved hearing about happy endings._

 _His grandfather would laugh. It was a rich and vibrant laugh, comforting to a young boy who thought all the world of his guardian. Then his grandfather would lift Rinne onto his lap. They would sit on the balcony observing the backyard, a view of the cherry blossom tree and the little koi fish pond to accompany them. Sometimes they would snack on onigiri or fresh plums. His grandfather had liked those._

 _In spring the cherry blossom petals would fall in his grandfather's hair as he told stories of princes and paupers, princesses and glass slippers, witches and deceit. But no matter how frightening the villain was, evil would always fall and good would triumph. The hero would end up with the lovely maiden and they would all live happily._

 _Rinne's favourite story had been a Western tale titled Rumpelstiltskin._

" _Why this one, Rinne?" His grandfather had laughed, ruffling the boy's hair fondly._

" _Because the little man can spin straw into gold! That's very cool; I wish I could do that!" Rinne had bubbled, his head filled with dreams of wealth and happiness._

" _But such power comes at a price, little one. All things do. Would you be willing to pay for it, all that gold?"_

" _Sure! I would just have to guess his name!"_

 _His grandfather laughed again._

 _Years later, after death and poverty, damashigami and stingy fathers, he would look back on this memory. He would smile bitterly, because now he knew the price of gold. There was no such thing as the power to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary._

 _There would always been a wide gap between the rich and the poor, no matter how far he reached._

 _He would never be able to guess that one in a million name._

* * *

"Sakura," his grandmother opened her arms wide to engulf them both in a painful hug. "It's been so long! Are you alright?"

"Yes," came the muffled reply. "I'm alright now." She gave Rinne a side glance and smiled. "I really am."

Their hands were still intertwined and they had yet to let go since they had left hell.

They all gathered in Tamako's living room. It was comfy, with a kotatsu in the center (there was a plate of oranges sitting on it) and a rocking chair by the side doors. The side doors led to the sand garden, which had a small pond to the right, a pond with precious gemstones lying at the bottom. The walls were adorned with family pictures, of his grandparent's wedding, of Rinne with them and there were lacy curtains covering the fireplace (a fire hazard not to be tried at home).

Tamako had pulled out a sofa too, for Ageha to lie against. Somehow Ageha's head had ended up on Tsubasa's lap and his hands were threading through her hair and occasionally smoothing out the pink ribbon tied there. It seemed such a private moment that Rinne had to tear his eyes away.

Rokumon, on the other hand, made himself right at home. He pulled out several blankets from one of the spare rooms and passed them out. Tsubasa took his and wrapped it around Ageha carefully. Sabato sat down in the rocking chair, the blanket spread on his lap. After Rokumon handed Rinne two blankets for the sort-of shinigami and Sakura, the black cat curled up in his own blanket on the floor.

Awkwardly, Rinne stood holding the two blankets with one hand, one a rather worn, wool blanket with black cats stitched on it while the other was a quilt with images of rabbits in checkered patterns. His other hand still grasped Sakura's and he was reluctant to let go.

Sakura noticed his dilemma sooner than he had and she merely curled her lips upward. She quietly took only one of the blankets from Rinne (the rabbit quilt) and pulled his hand downwards so that he was sitting next to her by the kotatsu.

She leaned in close to him, so that their shoulders touched and their hands were still linked and she clumsily wrapped the quilt over both of their shoulders, so that they were both warm. Rinne felt the blush spread to his face and nodded his thanks.

He followed suit by spreading the cat blanket on both their laps and soon they were curled up next to each other, listening to each other breathe.

It wasn't long before they fell both fell asleep, worn from the events of the night, heads leaning in against the other.

When his grandmother came in, holding a tray with mugs of hot cocoa, she took in the sight of slumbering humans and shinigami alike. She hummed quietly to herself and put the hot cocoa in the microwave so that she could heat it up later.

For now they could rest. Talking could come after. Resolutions could come later.

* * *

 _Why do you have to go, grandpa? Why can't you live forever like grandma does? Why?_

 _He had wanted to ask this. But he had not. He knew the answer. Things just didn't work that way. He was beginning to realize it every day the illness worsened._

" _Rinne… Rinne, come here…" his grandfather called from the bed, the voice that Rinne had admired as a boy, now weak and fragile as a snowflake. It was painful to watch, let alone hear. Just another reminder of what his grandfather had paid._

 _Obediently, he came to sit by his grandfather's bedside. His hand brushed against now gnarled skin that trembled terribly. It felt that his grandfather could be blown away by the wind and never be seen again. Rinne wanted very much to hold on to this hand and never let go._

 _But that wasn't the way of a shinigami. He had to accept death. They would meet again in another life._

 _Still, it wasn't fair. It was painful._

" _Rinne…" his grandfather said again. "I'm so very sorry that I have to leave you now, before you even reached high school. I'm sorry I can't take care of you for longer… I wanted so much to be there when you got married… but its time for me to go."_

 _No, he wanted to say._

 _Instead, he nodded and he smiled because he was supposed to, even though he wanted to cry. "It's alright, grandfather, I will be fine."_

" _Please be happy with the rest of your life, grandson. Live long and find your happy ending with the woman of your dreams. That is all your grandfather wants as his last wish."_

 _He remembered nodding again and promising his grandfather that he would be happy._

 _Of course he had never expected to live on the streets right afterwards and scrap by for a living._

 _Happiness came at a price. It was fleeting and gone in an instant. Afterwards, you had to pay._

* * *

"I think we should have a memorial service, for Masato, I mean…," Rinne heard Sakura say to his grandmother when he awoke from slumber. Her voice sounded distant, when he felt the veil of sleep slowly shake off, and yet he could see that she was still sitting beside him, under the haori. She still held his hand.

He felt too groggy and disorientated to get up. Instead, he decided to stay curled up and feign slumber, while quietly listening to the soft discussion. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself the privilege of lying down and just _resting_ without a single thought. His nights had been filled with worries and regrets, plagued with nightmares of demons and a corpse of a girl he vowed to protect.

But she was still here and her heart was still beating. Unconsciously, he squeezed her hand a little tighter, but Sakura did not act as if she noticed.

"He's the reason for all of your suffering, Sakura-chan, and Rinne-chan's suffering too. You would be better off continuing your life happy that he is finally gone," his grandmother replied sternly. Clearly she was still bitter to that demon for forcing Rinne's hand. He didn't blame her. Rinne could hardly find it in himself to forgive that monster himself.

"It's in his nature to—"

"So? It's our nature to chop up chickens and eat them for lunch too, but that doesn't make it right," Tamako scowled. It was rather hypocritical to say, since his grandmother was fond of chicken stew, but Rinne wasn't going to comment.

"But he never killed us, even though devils are 'supposed' to be cruel, he wasn't as cruel as he could have been. If he wanted us to truly suffer, it could have been much worse, I know it," said Sakura. "Besides, he apologized in the end and he sacrificed himself. Even though he did many things that make me want to hate him, I cannot. The least I can do is honour his death and let go of some of my anger. Hatred isn't going to change the past. What happened has happened. All I can do now is live with it and continue smiling."

Tamako did not speak. Rinne felt himself torn between agreeing with Sakura and wanting to disregard everything that had been said in order to justify his bitterness. He wanted to say something, then, but from the shuffling of kimono robes and sock-clad feet, he could tell that his grandmother beat him first.

"Oh, Sakura-chan," she breathed. Rinne had a feeling that she had pulled the human girl into a hug. Stubbornly, he held on to Sakura's hand, so that she would not be taken too far from his side. This made the embrace both awkward and endearing to both women. "You are so very kind… and I think I can understand. I may not agree with this, but you're right, in a way. What's done is done. We can only move on without regrets. Would you like to hold the memorial service in my home?"

"Yes, please. And thank you… thank you so much, auntie…"

The older lady chuckled, but did not hit Sakura as she normally would, "Call me Tamako-chan, sweetie, call me Tamako-chan."

Silently, Rinne wondered if he could ever find it in himself to let go of all his hate and regret. He shuffled back against the haori and Sakura's side.

His heart felt as if it were bleeding. He knew it was because he could not let go.

* * *

 _Sometimes Rinne had dreams, typical dreams of one with his lifestyle, of someone coming to give him a lot of money and saving him from life on the streets. Very quickly, he learned to dismiss such fantasies. They were unrealistic. In reality, people were cruel and harsh. They did not care for those sitting in the cold, begging for money. In fact, they passed by the homeless, as if they had no eyes, as if they could not see._

 _Rinne hated that and felt bitter. He learned to hide that too, because showing bitterness did not help him eat. He moved forward, tried to find work. When all he could scrap up was a job in making paper roses, he took it gladly. His previous positions had not been fulfilling and had not lasted long because the bosses were unreasonable. You were treated like dirt when the employer learned you had no place to live. His shinigami duties couldn't always help him buy food to eat; sometimes the money was taken by his father or taken to pay off his debts._

 _Debt, debt, debt. It surrounded him, suffocated him. It was a shadow that would never leave him, it haunted his dreams until all he could do was adapt. The only way to survive in this world was to think in terms of money. He could only survive if he threw away his yearning for luxuries and learned to treat every penny, every job and action, as a key to survival._

 _This was reality. No one was coming to save him, so he would have to live with it._

 _They had met once, before. Rinne hadn't remembered it at the time, but after he gotten over the shock that Sakura's memory had remained intact despite the hypnotism, he remembered that he had met her a long time ago, when he was living off the streets._

 _It was raining then. He curled up in a wet cardboard box (which had once held a rather large screen television, what a waste…) and attempting to keep warm. His ally was covered in shadow and his only possessions were his clothes, his haori and a few cans of food._

 _Beyond the ally, messy footsteps kept walking, like clockwork, stepping away and stepping forward. Never stepping towards him. He had learned to ignore the footsteps of the common public, just as they ignored him in turn. They lived in a different world after all, in a world of light and opportunity that he would never be able to return him. No one in their right mind would peer into the dark ally, just to look at a rain-soaked boy._

 _But one pair of feet stopped. He didn't pay it any particular attention, thinking that perhaps the person had dropped something._

 _Then Rinne felt the rain stop._

 _He looked up. There was an umbrella held up above the cardboard box. A girl with plain braids and rather unique eyes looked down on him curiously._

 _They didn't speak._

 _But he stared at her emotionlessly, waiting for her to walk away. They always did. Or just leave some crumbled bills. Some people did that too._

 _She did not. Instead, she let the umbrella fall over his head, making her braids get splattered with water. Then she took out her wallet and pried out every coin she had, every bill (he could tell) and left it by his feet. She took off her scarf and coat and wrapped them around his shoulders, leaving herself in a (now drenched) school uniform, a mere shirt and skirt._

" _Stay warm, alright?" she said to Rinne's shock, and then she smiled._

 _That was Sakura._

 _And unconsciously, after their next meeting… Rinne began to think that perhaps that had been fate._

* * *

"How are you feeling, Ageha-chan?"

"Much better. Tsubasa has been doting on me hand and foot. It's really nice of him," the female shinigami said almost fondly. "Thank you for asking, Sakura-chan."

The girls were busy conversing in the corner, curled up on the sofa. There was tea sitting on the table, steaming with comfort. Tamako was busy trying to force feed his father some dango. Apparently she wanted to take revenge on his formerly scheming ways by shaming him to death (she even brought out some hankies and diapers just to mess with Sabato).

Tsubasa had gotten up to get a teacup for Ageha. His eyes met Rinne's across the room, with an underlying glare for Rinne to go and talk to Sakura… alone.

Rinne frowned and looked away. He was sitting next to Sakura, while she spoke to Ageha and he had not spoken to her yet. The exorcist was accusing him of delaying the inevitable. Rinne was, in fact, doing just that. But he didn't like it when Tsubasa pointed it out. He felt as if he were a child, caught in the act of breaking the rules, eyes caught in fear of evoking his parent's ire.

That could be one word to describe how Tsubasa seemed to be glaring at him—with ire. The sort-of shinigami let the glowers continue, content to keep silent and merely enjoy the presence by his side, still warm in his hands. But eventually the glowers grew to be too much; building fire upon fire, until Rinne felt like his insides were burning and his soul was being put to judgement. He was growing restless now and some things could not be avoided forever.

"...Sakura Mamiya..." he was determined to keep his voice as neutral as possible, to avoid the condemning gaze of the exorcist, "would you mind if we stepped out towards the gardens to speak privately for a few moments?"

She was smiling at him. It made his heart pang with pain. She was always smiling at him, even when he didn't deserve it, even when he was guiltily prolonging every moment he had with her, when he had no intention of staying.

 _I'm sorry, Sakura Mamiya,_ he thought privately, escorting her out towards the patio, where once he and his grandfather enjoyed fairy tales and fresh fruit to eat. _But I just wanted to stay with you a little longer. It's best if we part ways after this talk._

 _I will not see you again._

* * *

 _It may have been destiny for them to meet, for her to stubbornly aid him in his shinigami duties, for him to protect her and later, learn to love her._

 _But just because it was destiny didn't mean it would last forever._

 _He was sitting on a bridge, invisible to all traffic passing below because of his red, gold and white haori. It fluttered behind him according to each truck or car that zoomed across the steel bridge, Tokyo or perhaps further along, as its destination. Rinne watched the sun rise and set, whenever he could, right at this bridge. He liked to think of it as his own time to contemplate, to mourn and to just be himself._

 _The sun was beautiful, bathed in rich orange and yellow. He hardly felt cold at all, watching the light dispel the darkness, at least for this day, before it would surrender to the shadows for the night. It gave his soul a feeling of being content, that at least something in the world was constant and would remain true. Something in this world would never end. The sun would always rise and fall, until the day the world ends._

 _In his hands, he held the potion, the thing that would take Sakura's sight, and hence, Sakura herself, away form his life forever._

 _He hated that vial, just then, and had an urge to smash it into the oncoming traffic below, watch it shatter as it hit the windshield of some poor vehicle and scatter into the air._

 _But he wasn't that selfish._

 _Wasn't it better, that Sakura live a life without him, without ghosts, without damashigami? Wasn't it better that she live free without the threat of Forsaken? And wasn't it better that she live like a normal girl and have a normal husband and get married with normal children?_

 _Wasn't it?_

 _He wasn't supposed to have a happy ending because there was no such thing as fairy godmothers or magical objects or even wishes from a genie. There was no one who could spin straw into gold, no one who could gain riches in an instant (unless they won the lottery, but that was another matter. Money was required to buy the lottery ticket in the first place). It was only a one in a billion chance and Rinne wasn't conceited enough to believe he was that 'one.'_

 _(But what if Sakura chooses you? What if you talked to her about it? What if-)_

 _No. He wasn't going to risk it. Knowing Sakura, she would brush it off with a serene expression. She would continue on, for his sake and he didn't want that._

 _This was for the best, he told himself. This was for the best._

 _So why was he crying?_

" _Don't be selfish, Rinne... Don't be selfish."_

* * *

"...What did you want to talk about, Rinne?"

She was as blunt as ever, staring at him serenely. They were staring at the stone and sand garden, taking in the sight of a vast turning red wheel in the sky, where all souls ventured when they died. Rinne noticed that they had avoided making direct eye contact thus far and wondered if they were both aware of it or if it was merely _him_ avoiding her watchful gaze.

"Please let me take your sight away again."

The words flowed from his mouth like a river clogged up from a dam, now free. Internally, he began to panic; he hadn't meant to say that. There had been an entire speech of reasons and calm words to say in order to prepare Sakura for this choice. But seeing her look at him again (like the old days) made him forget himself, it made him reckless.

Rinne looked nervously at her, but kept his face impassive.

"No," She refused, as expected.

"Sakura, don't be foolish, if you continue on like this, it won't be just one Forsaken like this time, there will be more and they will try and-"

"I know that," Her stance was resolute. "But I suppose I will just have to live with it, don't you think?"

An image, unbidden, fled into his mind, of Sakura on the ground, covered in blood, a Forsaken's ugly teeth pressing into her flesh. Rinne flinched and said loudly, "You can't be serious! You've spoken to Tamako, you've seen the texts this morning and you've encountered one. They are dangerous. They will hunt you down and they will kill you and...," He fought to control his temper, to unclench his fists, but the bitterness did not allow him to. "There won't always be a devil ready to sacrifice himself for you."

He wanted to let that thought rest between them, in the silence, for a little longer. But Sakura took her other hand and placed it on his cheek, turning his head up so that he would look at her directly. Staring into green depths, he found himself staring deep into the abyss of a soul he had wanted to avoid looking at. It felt like a stone was stuck in his throat, that worms were crawling under his skin, as he felt that Sakura was staring right back into his own.

It was frightening.

"Rinne…," she said, with her lips slightly upturned. "I fully comprehend the danger I'm in… and I'm fine with that."

"Sakura," he let himself say her name, his panic causing him to slip, "you can't be serious—"

"No, Rinne. Stop," her hand covered his mouth and she looked at him gravely. "Please let me finish." When he made no move to remove her hand, she continued on. "My sight… may have been a burden at first, but now it's a blessing that I treasure. It means the world to me and I felt so lost… confused… without it. I will not let you take it away, Rinne."

His lips parted, an argument waiting to fly out, but the stern emotion that she stared at him with, stopped him. Instead, Rinne clenched his fists, struggling to find coherent thoughts in his head, ideal words that he might be able to pluck from thin air that would turn this conversation around. He could think of nothing.

But Sakura seemed to understand.

She stepped back from him, but kept her fingers interlaced with his and she stared at the faint clouds, hovering near the wheel of reincarnation, the birds which flew a good distance from it. They were pretty cranes, a symbol of luck and wealth.

"…You know, Rinne… my sight brought me good things too, not just bad. It has brought me a lot of happiness, and it continues to."

"…What kind of happiness…?" He tasted the words cautiously, unsure of what to do.

She smiled and he was reminded of his sunset, his sunrise, when he used to sit on the bridge every morning back in high school. It glowed and it warmed his body in a way the sun never could.

"It brought me you."

And at that moment, Rinne knew he couldn't argue with her about her sight. It was there to stay and he would never be able to take it away from her again, not if it meant, taking away that smile.

* * *

" _Do you like fairy tales?"_

 _Again, the question had left unbidden from his mind. Around Sakura Mamiya, he had seemed to develop that particular habit of blurting out ridiculous phrases. This particular one made him embarrassed. He was already telling her quickly that she didn't need to answer._

 _But Sakura merely looked contemplated, if not amused. She held her pen in her hands; the top end had a little kitten decorating it. They were in the library, whispering about an English assignment. They were to analyze an English text of Sleeping Beauty. English wasn't Rinne's greatest subject, he was decent. Sakura was the same as him. Surprisingly, the exorcist seemed to thrive with other languages, particularly French and Italian. So English was naturally a breeze for him._

 _This has left Sakura and Rinne as English study partners, something that they did not share with Tsubasa (partially because Tsubasa never asked Sakura while Rinne never wanted to mention it… ever)._

"… _They never really appealed to me when I was a child… and I never disliked them either," Sakura answered. "It just seemed strange for someone to grant all your wishes and at the same time, it seemed wonderful to think about. But I think I liked the fables better, with the tortoise and the hare. Stories with animals in them were my preference. I really liked 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.'"_

 _He felt slightly disappointed, since he had loved fairy tales. But at the same time he was pleased with her response. It was a typical Sakura Mamiya thing to say. He would never have expected anything different._

" _Then I guess meeting Rokumon was a dream come true," he smiled._

 _She laughed, "It was. And he's so adorable too."_

 _They read further into the story, until they reached the ending, with the standard words 'Happily ever after.' Sakura frowned at those words and said, "That's rather misleading, isn't it?"_

" _The ending?"_

" _Yes. It implies that they were happy forever. But that's not necessarily true. For all we know, they weren't in love, they rushed into marriage and then her husband turned out to be abusive or she was too spoiled for him. I think this story would be more enjoyable if there had been an established period of time where they fell for each other, rather than this_ _'love at first sight.' A relationship is about two sides working together, compromising, and trusting each other. If it is going to last forever, then I think the story should focus on that aspect, and then the audience_ knows for sure _that this is 'true love.'"_

"… _I have never really thought of fairy tales like that before."_

 _That was true. Rinne usually focused on the part of the ending where the hero ended up wealthy, successful and with the girl of his dreams. Somehow his mind hadn't really thought about the 'after' part._

 _He suddenly found himself wondering what would happen if he told Sakura he liked her._ _He found himself staring intently at her, puzzling out what her response would be. His lips parted, to say the words, blurt them out. Then he stopped. An intense feeling of fear filled his chest._

 _(There is no such thing as 'Happily ever after' for you, Rinne.)_

 _They continued their study session._

 _He never found out._

* * *

"There is a way I could survive. The Forsaken don't often venture into the shinigami world. I could petition to live there."

"That's absurd," he found himself saying. "Humans aren't allowed to live here. It's forbidden."

"Not without good cause, I'm sure. But if I make a valid argument, with enough money and persuasion, I think I could convince, say _Kain_ that it would be for my benefit to live at a shinigami residence. Tamako would vouch for me, so would Ageha-chan. They're both influential people. I'm sure Rokumon would also vouch for me. There would be adequate protection and I could learn to defend myself."

He found himself gaping. Such a course had never occurred in his mind and yet such a simple one had been made. (Though inside, he felt that sickening feeling arise when Sakura mentioned Kain. He didn't want her to spend too much time around that swindling jerk.)

Sakura was shaking with amusement, "You did say once, that I would make a fine shinigami if I had the training."

"That was before I learned about Forsaken. This is now."

"Then come with me."

Rinne stepped back. "I'm sorry?"

Sakura smiled again. "Live with me?" She asked sheepishly. "Then you wouldn't have to worry so much. You would be with me every step of the way. Come back to the shinigami world. I want to share my new experiences with you. I want you to be the one who guides and teaches me."

"…But _why_ …?" He wanted to say more, but felt squandered by the overwhelming emotions. Why did just looking at Sakura, who was so determined, so sure of herself, make him feel so unworthy?

"Because I love you," she said for the second time.

The world crashed down on him for the second time. And like previously, when she had said those three words, he felt himself shut down and grow cold.

Instantly, he wrenched his hand away, as if it had been burned. He refused to look at her, his gaze now hard and cold as it was before.

… _I can't…!_

His feet were poised to run, anything to avoid this, to get away from this but—

"No, Rinne." Her grip on his wrist was hard. "Don't run away from this. You're always running away… I love you. Deal with it. But don't ignore it or ignore your own feelings. I was in your mind, in the Forsaken's pit. I know what you feel."

That was true. She had been there, in his head, looking into his darkest memories, looking at his deepest secrets. Sakura knew, she probably always knew, his reasons, his fears.

Why he felt he couldn't love her.

( _I'm not good enough. I don't deserve you. So I'll protect you instead.)_

 _(I don't deserve a happy ending.)_

She had been able to venture into his thoughts because that was what the Forsaken did. The Forsaken could reach into your mind and tear it open with invisible hands. That was how it attacked you, showed you your fears and hated moments. When other people were around you, attacked at the same time, they could also enter your thoughts.

The closer the people were, the easier it was to venture deeper.

Such was the case with Sakura Mamiya.

"I know you think you don't deserve this. But I think you do. You're always sacrificing yourself, I said this already. It's pointless, Rinne. You have a chance to be happy now. You should take it. Even if things go wrong, I'm happy to share the burden. There are always risks to love, of course there are, but that's love.

Sakura took a deep breath and finished off her thoughts by saying, "If you don't allow yourself to be happy, then you never will be."

She let go of his hand. And he looked down at his palm. A necklace laid there, a necklace with memories.

"It belongs to you; I gave it to you to keep. Please keep it this time," she said.

She re-entered the house. Rinne did not stop her.

* * *

 _The day his grandfather died, he took his book of fairy tales and threw it in the fire. He watched as the bits of flame jumped up to devour the pages of inked words and illustrations. He watched as it slowly turned to a pile of charred ash._

" _You'll find your happily ever after someday, Rinne," his grandfather had said once, "just like your grandmother and I."_

Liar _, he could not help but think right then. Because he was being irrational, because he was grieving, because he felt that he had lost everything._ Liar.

 _They didn't live happily ever after. Not when death separated them._

* * *

It was morning when Ageha deemed herself healthy enough to take Sakura and Tsubasa home. Of course, the two of them fussed over her injuries but Ageha brushed off their concerns.

"They're just light bruises and scratches. Don't worry, Tsubasa-kun, I'll take a few weeks off work. And yes, Sakura-chan, I can handle one trip to the human world," she grinned. "So Rinne," she addressed him, "are you coming with us, or what?"

She was presuming that Rinne was returning with them, that things would be normal again.

Rinne shook his head, "No. I'll leave shortly after you."

He could feel Sakura staring at him, but refused to look at her. He wouldn't know what to say or what to do. His heart wrenched again, the way it did when he had given her the potion. He felt as if he was being ripped into pieces again, while his heart was thrown into a shredder, its pieces left to bleed quietly on the floor.

Ageha frowned, "But—"

"Its fine, Ageha-chan. He's made his decision," responded Sakura Mamiya in an oddly constricted voice, though she was still smiling at him.

Always smiling.

Damn it.

No one argued after seeing that. They went quietly out the door, whispering fiercely at each other in silent disagreement. Rokumon looked disappointed at him, before the cat hopped away to accompany them. He had said he wanted to watch over Sakura Mamiya until her petition to live in the shinigami world was finished. Likely, Tamako had suggested he protect the human girl and he had happily agreed.

His father was gone, off to woo Ageha's sister again (Ageha hadn't been too pleased to hear this. There had been a short battle which involved Tsubasa trying to hold back the girl from clobbering Rinne's father with a fork while Tamako watched.)

He wasn't sure where his grandmother was, but she was probably seeing them off as well, at the door.

Rinne couldn't move his feet nor will himself to witness Sakura leave his life again. He decided to wait in the living room, wallow in his bitterness.

The punch directed towards his face snapped him out of his self-misery.

Tsubasa hunched over him, looking furious. "What have you done?" The exorcist said menacingly.

"…Shouldn't you be leaving with Ageha and Sakura Mamiya…?" Rinne grumbled, rubbing his sore cheek.

"Don't change the subject. Why aren't you going after her? What's wrong with you? Are you mentally challenged?"

"There's no reason—"

"Oh my god!" Tsubasa screamed at him, "You _love_ her, you fool!"

"That's why I can't be with her, she'll get—"

"Hurt? You're hurting her now! She's waiting for you. She's always been waiting for you. And yet you hesitate because of god knows why? Eat your damn pride, get rid of your fears and come crawling back when you realize that you have to do because I'm sick and tired of waiting for you to do just that!"

And the exorcist left, the only reminder of his presence, the purple bruise on Rinne's face.

"…Ouch, that must hurt, dear," a cold cloth pressed against the wound.

He looked up and saw his grandmother crouching down beside him, with an amused look.

"…Are you here to lecture me as well…?" He asked her bitterly.

"Not really. You made your choice."

 _Then why does my heart ache?_ He wanted to ask, but he did not say it out loud.

His grandmother noticed this and sighed. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Rinne… I am so proud of you. I hope you always remember how much your grandfather and I love you… because we do, so very much. And I… I just want you to be happy."

Rinne sat still in his grandmother's arms. It had been a long time since they had shared a moment like this. It was nice, a reminder that he had family still. He wasn't alone.

A pang filled his heart and it made him realize something.

 _He wasn't alone._

"…Do I really deserve to be happy…?" he found himself saying his thoughts aloud, lost in a trance.

Tamako combed her fingers through his hair lightly and whispered gently.

"There's nothing wrong with choosing happiness, no one would punish you for it. You just need the courage to go after it."

Was it really that simple? Years of desperation and hopelessness, years of watching silently, years of thinking he would never be happy, all gone in one moment.

But then he thought of _her_ , his fingers tightened around the necklace and slowly he put it back around his neck, where it belonged.

"I love her," he said in a daze, as if he had never known this before.

This time, Tamako truly smiled. "Then go after her."


	12. Final

There is a necklace clenched tightly in his fingers. It is composed of a long and fine silver chain, while a small pendant, in the shape of a rose, hangs from the chain. It is not a typical accessory for a man to wear, but the meaning goes beyond the outward appearance of the trinket.

Rinne remembers why Sakura had gotten this particular necklace for him. That reason makes this necklace all the more precious (and more heartbreaking, when he looked upon it during those years away from her).

As he runs out the door, feet rushing down the path, past his grandmother's estate, the vendors on the street, the fields of flowers and the floating wheel of reincarnation revolving in the sky, he remembers.

* * *

 _It's Valentine's Day. There isn't much expectation on Rinne's part._ _He is merely indifferent. Even when his grandfather had been alive the holiday hadn't interested him much, except for the prospect of free sweets. There had been some girls in elementary school that had had minor crushes on him and given him chocolate. However, theirs had always been too sweet or bitter for Rinne's liking, but being the polite person he was, he always thanked them for their troubles._

 _This year he expected nothing. He had no female acquaintances save for Sakura (and perhaps even her odd friends, Rika and Miho)._ _As kind as Sakura was, he doubted she was the type to make chocolates for people. When he had heard Tsubasa (he wasn't eavesdropping, just coincidently passing by) he had heard the reluctance on Sakura's part to make chocolates for her male friends. He didn't want to trouble her, so he didn't press the issue, despite the small flutter of disappointment in his heart._

 _Never had one single holiday been so agonizingly long. The hours seem to have stalled because every time Rinne glances up from his meticulously written notes to the clock ticking up ahead, not a minute has gone by. He stares back down at the variables and formulas for quadratic equations and his (picked up off the ground after a careless student dropped it) convenience store mechanical pencil._ _The teacher's voice is far away, a droning noise in the background, lost to his formless musings._

 _The bell rings and Rinne nearly jumps out of his seat, the metal legs making a clanging sound against the floor._ _Heads turn to look at him incredulous in a simultaneous swoop, as if this has been timed perfectly and Rinne finds his face heating up in embarrassment under the scrutiny of so many glinting eyes. There are some scattered giggles and a few spoken comments from the females about how 'adorable' he looks when he's startled, surprising, they report, for an 'emotionless weirdo.'_

 _He suddenly wishes that Valentine'_ _s Day was over, that the annoying shuffling of pink, glittered covered cards in various desks was gone, that there was no more evidence of the sudden height in the frivolous nature of his classmates._

 _His feet dash towards the door, while he keeps his face as blank as possible; ignoring the whispers and blushes sent his way. By the time Rinne reaches the rooftop of the school, he lets go a breath that he didn't know he had been holding._

 _The wind kisses his face; he looks upon a fair view of the city and immediately feels a little calmer than before now that he is not confined with a classroom of love-driven teenagers._

 _But he's not alone. He doesn't realize it. Not until she speaks._

" _I was hoping you'd come here. You seemed very pale in class, Rokudo-kun. I hope you're not feeling sick."_

 _Rinne whirls around and sees Sakura Mamiya, leaning against the wall by the door. She is relaxed, her uniform is neat and lacking the blue jacket that usually accompanies it. It is a warm day, so she is wearing her short-sleeved shirt, without the sweater vest and she's looking at him intently, in a way that makes Rinne's stomach flop and do circles and he wants to look away but he also doesn't and—_

" _You're pale again," she says once more. "Maybe you should see the nurse."_

" _No," He replies immediately, the words sounding dark in the air. "That's not necessary."_

" _Oh. Alright then," Sakura Mamiya responds brightly._

 _He shuffles his feet from side to side, not sure where to fix his eyes. He settles for leaving them fixed on her shoes, which are shiny and black today. They looked new. Sakura Mamiya's old pair had gotten ruined in his last exorcism, so he was glad that she was able to replace them. Rinne had felt guilty and stricken about the issue for weeks. He still insisted on paying her back for them someday..._

" _What?" He snaps his head up. He wasn't paying attention, lost in his regrets._

 _Sakura Mamiya tugs on the edge of her skirt and says, "I have a gift for you."_

 _Rinne blinks once. Then he blinks again, because he is very touched and he doesn't know how to express the emotions swimming inside him now._

" _I'm sorry?"_

 _Her smile is a patient one, as always. "This is your Valentine's Day gift. I hope you like it."_

 _Then a carefully wrapped package is pushed into his hands and he notices the complex ribbon used to tie the lightly coloured bag. Rinne doesn't know what to say._

" _Open it," she says, saving him from fumbling for words._

 _So he does._

 _There are seventeen chocolate lollipops, in various shapes of kittens. Rinne suspects that the design is inspired by Rokumon, judging from the fond lift of Sakura's face, it is a likely guess. Still, Rinne appreciates that the kittens are decorated with little tips of white chocolate eyes and whiskers. There is a ribbon tying each lollipop beautifully and Rinne has a feeling that no matter how they taste, they will be delicious because Sakura Mamiya made them._

 _There is more. And Rinne feels more surprised because_ _he finds a small box. It is a rather luxurious box, at least, more luxurious than Rinne is used to receiving. It looks like velvet or some leathery material encases the box and when he opens it he finds a chain with a rose pendant laid on a satin pillow._

 _Rinne freezes._

 _This is not the traditional gift that a girl gives to her male acquaintances and friends on Valentine's Day. He is sure of it. Suddenly the large quantity of chocolate, all meticulously made and wrapped, the time Sakura Mamiya took to meet with him alone add up and he has this ridiculous surge of hope—_

" _It's rather feminine but it reminded me of you," she comments, "since you make paper roses all the time. And... Well... it suits you, matches your eyes."_

 _He says nothing, transfixed by the gift before he realizes he should respond somehow and he looks up, about to say 'thank you' or question her intentions without sounding rude or just ask her if she ever considered him as a—well, more than a friend, more than a classmate, more than that resident shinigami—when he sees the more incredible thing._

 _Sakura isn't looking at him. In fact, it seems that she is trying to avoid his eyes as much as possible. There is no hint of frustration or confusion in her countenance but persisting way she turns her head ever so slightly so that she is looking at his chin rather than his eyes._

 _He speaks up, or is about to, when Sakura almost mumbles, "I hope you wear it," and she dashes off, returning into the confines of the school._

 _Rinne is left alone on the roof with her gift._

 _And for the first time since he met her, he allows himself to truly_ believe _that maybe, just maybe, Sakura feels the same._

* * *

His shoes are ready to fall off. He had hardly had time to throw on a pair, merely shoving his feet into the nearest slippers half-way. This makes it fairly difficult to navigate on the slightly rocky dirt path which leads out of the market place and into the grassy lands of the other world. Behind him the shouts and promises of good deals from the store keepers disappear. He can only hear his heart racing and the periodic rushed steps that are clunking against the earth.

The wheel of reincarnation is twirling in the backdrop, surrounded by huge puffy clouds. Rinne can see a flaming black figure preparing to leave in the sky. His steps increase and he finds himself flying. It's faster this way and Rinne should have thought of it sooner but he can't think clearly right now. Not when the only coherent thought running through his mind is her name.

He races against the air resistance, feeling it press against his lips and clothes, but he keeps his eyes fixed on one point. He is getting closer and he can make out Sakura's figure on Rokumon's head, as well as Ageha and Tsubasa, holding each other close.

He cried out her name.

For a moment, he thinks she can't hear him, too far away in the sky and he tries to muster more strength to reach her.

Then she turns her head towards him and wears a look of surprise. He can't see it from this distance, but he thinks she says his name.

There is movement and then Rokumon stills in mid-air, turning so that he meets Rinne half-way.

Sakura stands up, her face in wonder and before she can speak, Rinne does it for her, his eyes pleading and his hand out stretched.

"Stay with me."

Then Rinne tenses. There is just him, floating above them, the flickering of the flames on Rokumon's head and the silent stares that Ageha and Tsubasa are giving them. There's no reaction at first from Sakura Mamiya, and he fears he has ruined their relationship for good, that it's too late and then...

Her face lights up. She jumps up off of Rokumon's head, is flying up in the air. Rinne panics, he won't let her fall, and manages to loop his arms around her waist and they end up twirling around before Rinne stills and they are clinging to each other, miles above the other world and just before the entrance to the human one.

He can hear her heart beating, and tentatively he pulls her closer until they are staring at each other. And then he leans down and brushes his cheek against her hair, wanting to confirm that she is really _here_ , with him.

There's still a lot of to sort out, feelings and conflicts from their past. But at that moment, Rinne could care less. He feels, in this euphoria, that he can do anything, as long as Sakura is with him. They will work it out. There will be fights and misunderstandings, so many of them, but Rinne wants to work them out, if only to be together with her.

They will work with each other's weaknesses and strengths and they will accept each other throughout it all. Suddenly, what he feels for her isn't so frightening anymore, not when they're holding each other so desperately in the air, not now.

He leans in and he realizes he never ever wants to let her go.

Tsubasa wolf-whistles and tells them to get a room, while Ageha rolls her eyes. Rokumon is purring in contentment.

They are both blushing, but nonetheless, neither of them moves to separate.

In fact, Rinne could care less if their friends were watching. He's too absorbed in memorizing Sakura's face, trying to convince himself that she's here. He finds himself leaning in against her neck and cheek for affirmation and places a lingering kiss on her forehead and one more on her nose.

"...I love you, Sakura Mamiya," he says with his stoic face, but anyone can see the tender look in his eyes and she smiles at him.

"I know."

Both close the gap between with their lips.

* * *

 _It's been two years._

 _There's a park, with a view of the sun and a lake. Shinigami children play there frequently, often watching the wheel in the sky._

 _An exorcist and shinigami heiress sit together on the park bench, watching a certain couple at the bottom of the hill. The shinigami heiress presses her shoulder against the exorcist and smirks, "I bet you he'll ask today, right now."_

 _The exorcist raises his hand in compliance, "Of that, I've no doubt, Ageha."_

" _Sh! He's getting down on one knee!"_

 _The pair stay silent, watching the couple intently as the sort-of shinigami gets down on one knee and asks awkwardly, with an outstretched hand. The girl kneels down too and then she embraces him._

" _She said yes," hums the exorcist in approval._

 _When he receives no answer from the shinigami heiress he grows concerned and touches her arm, "Are you alright, Ageha?"_

 _Her face is wistful and she says, "Yes. I got over him years ago. It's just... it'd be nice to get married, you know? To someone who loves me."_

 _He wears a knowing smile and covers her hand with his._

" _You will. I promise."_

 _And at the wedding, he proposes._

 _Of course (after throwing many things at him and finally realizing the sincerity of his feelings) she says yes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has supported me in my first multi-chaptered Rin-ne story, despite it's corniess and oocness. It's been a long journey and I've been touched by you all. This story wouldn't have been finished without your wonderful encouragement, review, favourites, story alerts, fanart and more. I hope you enjoyed it (even the corniness of the ending, I'm a sucker for those) and I want to express my gratitude, once again, for putting up with my delayed updates.
> 
> Thank you, so much. God bless you all and I will continue to write more multi-chaptered stories for Rin-ne in the future. Love from, Ms. Notebook.


End file.
